


Come Away With Me

by Arrogant_Vice



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Gen, One Piece Spoilers, One Piece Universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-23
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:20:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 30,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24874480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arrogant_Vice/pseuds/Arrogant_Vice
Summary: The boy Isuka stood in front of didn’t seem to match the one she’d spent the last year of her navy career chasing, but it was definitely Fire Fist.He smirked at her, same annoying face but unlike many times before, this one seemed friendly and almost relieved to see her.“Hey Isuka!”“That’s Captain Isuka,” she grumbled.
Relationships: Isuka/Portgas D. Ace, Portgas D. Ace & Isuka
Comments: 33
Kudos: 73





	1. I Will Be Strong

**Author's Note:**

> I need more Isuka in my life. We all do to be honest. If you haven't read the Ace spin off novel, do yourself a favor and go check it out! It's so great and I'm willing to bet that the more people support it, the more willing Oda might be in the future to letting people write more spin off content for some of the less expanded on characters in One Piece. More Ace content was something the fandom could only dream of years ago and now we have it!!! 
> 
> There will be spoilers for the book in here so be warned! 
> 
> I just need more Isuka content out there and if I can't find it, I have no choice but to make it! We get so little time with her but I thought she was such a fun cool character. This piece is a dedicated fic to her to hopefully give her more depth and really explore what her role in the story could have been in another universe.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boy Isuka stood in front of didn’t seem to match the one she’d spent the last year of her navy career chasing, but it was definitely Fire Fist.
> 
> He smirked at her, same annoying face but unlike many times before, this one seemed friendly and almost relieved to see her.  
> “Hey Isuka!”
> 
> “That’s Captain Isuka,” she grumbled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I need more Isuka in my life. We all do to be honest. If you haven't read the Ace spin off novel, do yourself a favor and go check it out! It's so great and I'm willing to bet that the more people support it, the more willing Oda might be in the future to letting people write more spin off content for some of the less expanded on characters in One Piece. More Ace content was something the fandom could only dream of years ago and now we have it!!!
> 
> There will be spoilers for the book in here so be warned!
> 
> I just need more Isuka content out there and if I can't find it, I have no choice but to make it! We get so little time with her but I thought she was such a fun cool character. This piece is a dedicated fic to her to hopefully give her more depth and really explore what her role in the story could have been in another universe.

**Chapter 1: I Will Be Strong**

An old memory began to replay itself in her dreams lately.

Ace—or rather “Fire Fist” as Isuka strictly referred to him as—reached out his hand to her, his ship sailing farther away and his offer asking if she wanted to join his crew going with it.

Isuka was a Navy officer and the idea of abandoning her career and loyal men seemed too absurd at the moment to even consider.

But still…

Fire Fist’s expression after seeing her pull back her arm and remain on Sabaody Archipelago stayed with her. Disappointment, hurt, longing…and much more had crossed over his expression that day, emotions Isuka herself experienced just moments prior to the Spade Pirate’s escape when she discovered the reality of Vice Admiral Draw’s actions.

That idea of a person you though you knew not really being who you thought they were.

Isuka was wrong to think of Vice Admiral Draw as a role-model. Did that mean Ace had thought of her as a crew mate and felt betrayed when she refused to go with them the same way she felt towards her disgraced mentor?

Surely, Ace had known things weren’t that simple for her, right? But the dream made Isuka feel restless.

After her leave time at Sabaody Archipelago and her fall out with Draw, she had been summoned back to Marine HQ, the higher ups more concerned with why the alleged super rookie she vouched for rejected their offer to make him a Shikibukai than for the damage Draw caused burning down the homes of innocent families.

In hindsight, Isuka understood why Ace didn’t take the offer. His aspirations as a pirate apparently went beyond anything she could have imagined, and the warlord system was glaringly flawed. He was right to turn it down, and she felt just as stupid to offer it in the first place. So much for knowing how her target thinks.

When she received news that Fire Fist had gone after the Yonko, Whitebeard, she understood that being a privateer for the government wasn’t even an option on the table for him.

Isuka explained her story to her superiors, received a reprimand for failing to bring in the Spade Pirates before they reached the New World and had been sent on her way, business as usual.

But still, the dreams persisted and in the farthest corner of her heart, Isuka felt deep down she was out of place.

+++ 

Vice Admiral Tsuru had approached her sometime after, asking Isuka if she wished to switch into her fleet and work under her for a while now that Draw’s ranks where being dissolved and redistributed. A soreness in Isuka’s heart made her take Tsuru’s invitation, desperate to branch out and find her place again in the marines after what had gone down.

As Isuka sailed with Vice Admiral Tsuru fleet and furthered her training under her guidance, she started to unpack the memories of her time chasing Ace down. It took only a day for Tsuru to finally pull her aside and start grilling her on this pirate Isuka had garnered a name for hunting down.

And of course, failing to catch…

“The boy is a fire logia?” Vice Admiral Tsuru had asked over a cup of tea one day.

The warm demeanor of the older woman’s office relaxed Isuka, the smell of incense and crisp papers brought her ease and the legacy photos Tsuru had on her wall from her younger navy days reminded Isuka that people could have long fulfilling lives as marines; an idea she coveted.

Isuka nodded, hoping to gain some advice from the woman regarding the situation. She might never see Ace again, but he wasn’t the only logia she might one day face. She wanted to get stronger, needed to, even if it was only to make her own sense of self and strength feel more secure. Her identity felt like a picture out of focus, but that didn't mean she should waste time doing nothing when she could be training and hopefully try to understand the uneasy stir of feelings that pooled in her gut each day. 

Despite her reprimand, Isuka’s work ethic and commitment to get stronger grew as she fought the urge to think about her dreams and memories of Ace. He was gone and she needed to find a new purpose, a new drive to make her dreams of helping the world come true. Especially with her new status...

Captain Isuka as she was now called. No longer the green wet-behind-the-ear Ensign who lived only to catch **one** pirate. Now she commanded her own ship, had more responsibility and had more than just one name on a list of criminals to worry about. Despite her failures, she had still been promoted, mostly due to the dire need for more Captains with the incoming surge of rookies entering the Grand Line just this last year. 

Isuka didn't expect to be promoted much higher for a long time, but maybe if she worked hard enough, her transgression would one day be forgotten in the minds of her superiors. It seemed like a few high-ranking names in the marines already had if they ever noticed to begin with.

Tsuru continued to read over her file. 

“You don’t know Haki, do you?”

Isuka bit her lip, embarrassed as she nodded.

Tsuru huffed. “That explains a lot then. You had such a clean record of capture before you reported meeting that fire-boy. Of course, no marine base in the East Blue has proper training facilities to teach lower rank soldiers haki. I’m disappointed though. Your commanders should have realized this sooner and sent someone with the skill to capture him in your stead while you learned proper armament technique on the side.”

Isuka felt shame well up in her. The realization that her pursuit of the Spade Pirates had always been fruitless due to her inability to properly capture Ace weighted on her. She recalled exactly the moment she stopped being perceived as a threat by them and more as a nuisance. Another sore spot for her to think about and one that felt worse to even consider, the idea that Ace might have seen her as a joke and offered her a place on his crew out of pity...

_No, he wouldn’t. He’s not that mean. He never was. He was good. I'm just being paranoid..._

In the darkest most shut away corners of her mind, she was almost happy she’d never managed to catch Ace. Draw would have never revealed his true colors and the idea of seeing Ace behind bars instead of free and out doing good would have been a different reckoning.

But she still had the stain of her incompetence to address regardless of how things had turned out.

“Will you please teach me? None of the other admirals who know the skill will bother with me at all,” Isuka pleaded. Memories of her trying to ask Momonga, Stainless and various other Vice Admirals and even some Commodores flooded in. All of them had simply taken one look, rolled their eyes and claimed they were just too busy to try with her. 

Tsuru scowled, the elder woman no doubt clued in on the fact that Isuka’s gender played a role in their typical male dominated command force disregarding her entirely since women were not always viewed as worthwhile investments for learning advanced fighting skills.

“I’ll train you myself then. But you better be prepared. Haki is only learnt through sheer force of will and struggle in the direst circumstances. I’ll push you until you learn what it means to truly test your limit. And after that, do you still plan on going after this boy? Surely you’ve heard the news about him.”

Isuka shuffled uneasily in her seat. She’d heard.

Ace the Captain of the Spade Pirates was now “Fire Fist” Ace, 2nd Division Commander for Whitebeard, the strongest pirate alive. How far he’d risen made her feel just as pathetic, how had she ever thought they could be equals. But by now with everything in her life, his new rank really didn’t play that much into her decision to learn the basics of haki. She was done chasing him. 

“I had my shot and I failed. But I want to be ready to defend and protect the civilians wherever I go, even if it’s not after him anymore. If I do meet pirates out there with abilities a normal soldier can’t fight against, I want to equip myself with the skills to rescue those weaker than me and help maintain peace. That’s all I ever wanted, even before I met him.”

‘And I don’t think I'll be seeing “Fire Fist” anytime soon if ever again,’ she thought. ‘Might be for the best. I don't know if I can bring myself to arrest him now knowing what he's really like.’

If she was being true to herself, she missed Fire Fist. When she hadn’t been furiously chasing him, her routine of running into the Spades brought out memories of talking with their charismatic Captain and being around his welcoming aura; a dangerous feeling for a marine like her to have for a pirate like him.

It was best not to see him again, even if it hurt to accept. But that didn’t mean she would pretend like he hadn't left a mark. Not all pirates where like Ace the same way not all marines were like her. There was danger out there she wasn’t ready to face or shield innocent people from. She owed it to herself to become strong and be the marine she herself always wanted to follow.

Honorable, kind, generous and steadfast in their dedication to protect and serve.

Tsuru seemed pleased with her response. The woman gave her a schedule for training.

"I expect good things from you. All I ask is that you strive to work your hardest and move forward. You'll need a clear heart and mind to thrive on these waters."

Isuka nodded and thanked the older woman. She was stationed in Paradise for the foreseeable future. It would do well for her to take the time to grow and flourish as she paved her way and future as a marine.

And if she was lucky, find a way to rid her heart of the feelings and memories it held towards Fire Fist. She didn’t take his hand and it was time to move on.

He was free and she… she was safe. For now.


	2. Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reunions can be unexpected but also not unwelcome...

**Chapter 2: Reunion**

** Months pass and time goes on… **

“Captain! We saw a shady figure arrive in town earlier. We think it's a pirate!” one of her panicked subordinates cried as she finished her meeting with the town’s elders.

Isuka sighed, she’d just been told news by the jittery citizens that a bunch of outlaws had started to terrorize their port. Isuka had already made quick work of the ones at the docks, beating them handily in a fight and getting them shackled and loaded onto her fleet ship.

Now all that was left was to venture up to the mountains and snuff out the leader of the group, no doubt hiding and hoping to wait out the visit from one of the marine’s most notable and feared captains in the area. 

Nailing Isuka, her old moniker had grown to strike fear in the hearts of pirates all across the Paradise side of the Grand Line.

Ever since her haki training, she'd gained renewed vigor to go out and seek justice for the terrorized citizens.

As much as things changed, certain patterns stayed true to her life, like the one she was living in now.

Isuka trained, fought and sparred. Every island she visited, she was able to defeat and overcome the pirates stationed there more easily than the time before, freeing innocents and maintaining peace that had seemingly been lost forever.

This was her purpose. The same life she led before ever meeting Fire Fist, just new waters and a different crew to go with her.

She’d found purpose again, pride in the job she’d once almost left behind for the very lifestyle she scorned. It was only fitting that now with her sense of self reborn that she be tested again in her commitment to the cause.

Isuka explored the town, trying to sniff out the figure her officer had reported. She came across a distressed restaurant owner, fussing over the form of a customer that had apparently face planted in their food. They waved her over when she drew closer, growing frantic by the second.

“Sir? Sir! Please wake up. Are you still alive?!” they cried, shaking the man’s body. The man was shirtless and as Isuka approached, she immediately clocked in on the massive tattoo printed on his back.

The Whitebeard Jolly Roger, a symbol she knew all too well from her time training at HQ and learning the various symbols belonging to notorious pirate crews.

The giant mustache on the tattoo’s face was a dead giveaway. This was a Yonko crewmate, but what were they doing here?

She came closer, putting a calm hand on the owner’s shoulder and shooing them away as she sat next to the man.

Orange hat, same shorts as before, and the trademark knife he’d always carried around yet seldom used. A knot formed in her throat. The urge to walk away grew stronger by the second, but no matter what, Isuka would die before she let herself become a coward.

Especially if it came from _him_. Despite their time away, Fire Fist was still recognizable even with his face down in the bed of rice on his plate, fast asleep.

Isuka reached out to shake him awake but paused. Was this a conversation she wanted to have? She could just shackle him and be done with it.

Plus, what if he was no longer the kind pirate captain from before? Sailing under a Yonko might have made him cruel and merciless like so many before.

She couldn’t count on him to be friendly. He might not even remember her…

_Don’t think like that._

It took all her effort to swallow down the feelings that rose from the pit of her stomach.

_Not a coward. Whatever the truth is, we face it._

She tapped his shoulder a few times and waited.

The only indication he was alive was the steady rise and fall of his back, despite how impossible breathing seemed with air passages stuffed with food.

She tapped again a bit harder.

Finally, Ace shot up in his seat awake, sitting up quickly like someone had just poked him with a needle.

“Hmmm….where?” he asked as his eyes blinked awake and he brushed the food stuck to his face off.

He turned and looked straight at her. Isuka froze under the scrutinizing glare as he struggled to wake up and process his surroundings.

…

…

“Hey, Isuka!” he finally said. A cheerful grin broke out across his face, replacing the tired annoyed look of a sleepy teenager.

“That’s Captain Isuka,” she grumbled. Against her will, a small smile of relief graced itself across her own face.

This was a good sign. Maybe he hadn’t turned into a blood thirsty warmonger in the New World after all.

But nothing Isuka could have done would have prepared her for the next moment. Ace was smiling at her like he’d reunited with an old friend, one he missed dearly.

Seconds later, she found herself wrapped in his embrace as he gave her an enveloping hug, pressing her whole body right up against his torso and around his impossibly strong arms.

She felt herself go rigid. Ace’s body was warm and comforting despite all the hard muscle, and his bright grin and the pure elation made the whole moment feel surreal and more alarmingly, peaceful.

Isuka forced herself to relax and give a pat on his back. She hadn’t been hugged in years. It felt nice to have that human contact, even though it came from a pirate. She never expected to be embraced by Ace in any way but now that it was happening, she couldn't deny that his hugs felt better than any she'd ever received so far in her life. 

_DO NOT think like that!!!_

Ace finally pulled back, both hands on her shoulders as he studied her.

“You’re still so short! I don’t remember you being this small!”

Isuka’s cheeks puffed out. Insolent as usual. 

“I’m the same height, Fire Fist. You just got taller.”

“Oh? I guess so!” he said, looking at his own feet and legs now, as though he just remembered he was still going through the growth into manhood and would probably be even taller in the next coming years.

“Still, you seem younger now!” he teased, playfully poking at the tiny smile Isuka tried to keep off her face. “Maybe it’s the missing scowl?”

Isuka once upon a time would have snarled at the words, but the remark was so painfully reminiscent of Fire Fist’s rude yet innocent comments of the past, it made her laugh.

“Maybe. That might be it,” she replied. “I never expected to run into you here, Fire Fist. I thought you set sail for the New World. When they made me a Captain and stationed me out here, I was sure I’d never see you again.”

Ace seemed to clue into her uniform and frowned a bit. “I’m here to make a delivery and see an old friend. You’re still a marine then?”

She blushed but reminded herself not to feel ashamed. This was her life's choice. The island around her prospered with new business and growth due to her work keeping outlaws away from the area.

The laughter of the children nearby was her doing and the food Ace had just eaten came from ingredients the island was now able to trade for with the route open to them now that Isuka had cleared the waters of dangerous thieves and looters.

“Yes, I am. I know what happened before may have shaken my faith, but I still want to be someone innocent people can count on when they need help.”

Ace stuck his lip out in a grumpy manner. “You don’t have to be a marine to that though.”

She chuckled softly, “I know, but it’s easier this way. I have a crew, a ship and a whole bunch of friends to help me. It’s hard saving people alone. As a marine, I can get trained and use my strength to inspire others to be good too.”

Ace snorted. “I still think you should have come with me when you had the chance. But I guess it’s good that at least one marine is doing good work out here. Even if I really missed you.”

His bold declaration caused blood to rush to her face. Her mouth hung open for a prolonged second as she tried to process words to say.

Ace must not have noticed how strongly his words affected her as he grabbed her hand and dragged her with him through the town, intent on using their short time together to catch up.

***

Isuka had long forgotten the pleasantries and joy walking around town with a friend brought her. And she was also learning how to quell the alarm in her gut at the idea of how she could now officially associate Fire Fist as a 'friend'.

No longer could she even consider the thought of him using her for crueler intentions a real possibility. It was all but sure now that Ace was not an evil person. He was just as kind and good as she remembered him being and the thought gave her both worry and cheer she hadn’t felt in years.

“Aren’t your men going to panic when they see us together?” Ace asked, as he saw some marines walk by, each giving Isuka a salute and walking past without acknowledging Ace.

Isuka brushed him off. “Not really. A lot of infantry marines aren’t familiar with pirates who aren’t famous from the surrounding islands. Once you get to be a warrant officer, then people start to memorize the names of notorious pirates from all the sections of the ocean, not just ones from our territory.”

“Hmmm. Interesting.” Ace seemed lost in thought from her words.

“Although, I have to say, the marking on your back will probably draw in some eyes. You might want to wear a shirt if you’re hoping to avoid unwanted attention in other places.”

Ace grinned as the two reached the edge of the town and strolled right up to the rocky beach area away from Port. “You noticed that, huh?”

“It’s kind of hard to miss!”

Ace turned around, showcasing the tattoo to her and pointing to it. “This is my new crew. I’m a son of Whitebeard now!”

“I heard. I thought you always wanted to be a captain and become the strongest in the sea by your own strength though.”

Ace turned back to face her as he shook his head. “What I once thought I wanted turned out to be something else. Whitebeard is the strongest man alive and the only thing I want is to make him the Pirate King.”

Isuka gulped at the declaration. Among marines, talk of One Piece and Pirate Kings was sacrilege and could bring about some heavy punishment if spoken about to brazenly in the field.

“Yeah? So, you decided to join his crew then because they’re the strongest and you want to learn from him?”

“They’re more a family than a crew. And no, I tried to fight him at first because he was and still is far above anyone in terms of strength. But I joined because…well I realized never wanted to be the strongest. I wanted to find a place where I could be w-were I could have a—” Ace cut himself off as he stared out at the ocean silently.

Isuka understood. Finding a place where she belonged and felt whole was something she looked for her entire life. It was something everyone searched for and knowing Ace had found it warmed her heart, even if it was at the side of the most wanted pirate in the entire world.

“What about you?” he asked gesturing to her outfit again. “You said you got promoted earlier?”

“Yes. I’m a Captain now. One day I hope to be an admiral and to go from island to island helping people and using my strength to defend innocent people from evil doers.”

Ace cocked his head, shyly. “Do you still think pirates are evil then? I thought after what happened, you would for sure change your mind.”

Isuka shook her head. “You and I both know it’s not that simple. I know now that not all marines are good and by that logic, that must mean even a few pirates can be pretty nice. My goal is to figure out who’s who and save people from those who want to hurt and destroy for their own selfish reasons.”

Ace seemed satisfied with her response for the time being. “Well, if you ever want to leave, let me know. My crew basically does the same things you talk about. We defend the people in our territory and keep new pirates in line when they get out of control. And unlike you marines, we go on vacation all the time. Not just once a day each year,” he teased.

Isuka huffed as a small chuckled escaped from her, thinking about her time at Sabaody with him and his first mate, that “Masked Deuce” guy.

“I’ll keep that in mind. But next time I’m on leave, I’ll actually enjoy my time off without having to chase you all around the place. A change of scenery might be kinda nice without having to hunt down rude pirate boys who don’t pay for their meals.”

Ace cackled as they sat side by side. This was nice. Just talking and not having to keep up the façade that she was going to capture and turn him in. He was clearly passing through and unlike old Isuka, she wasn’t willing to throw a monkey wrench in her crews plans just to chase down a pirate who wasn’t on their capture list and definitely not in their pay grade to fight against.

“I have to say, Fire Fist, seeing you again feels weird. I really believed we’d seen the last of each other. This ocean just feels to big to have second chance meetings in again.”

Ace brightened up at that and took out a little piece of paper and handed it to her.

“Take this then. If you’re ever in the New World come find me. I’ll show you all the coolest places to visit there.”

Isuka highly doubted that she would ever set foot on the most dangerous side of the Grand Line, even with her newfound strength and skill. She had little desire to leave right now, especially with how good things were going.

Still, she took the slip of paper from Ace. Nothing was written on it. She recognized it immediately as a Vivre card.

The fact that Ace was giving her something so sentimental and valuable made her head swim.

Yup. Fire Fist was definitely the same as before, maybe a bit stronger and taller, but still whimsically careless, giving a marine a permanent compass to his whereabouts without even thinking about the possible consequences that might befall him.

And giving it to her on top of the fact that she was a woman? It was good Isuka knew Fire Fist was characteristically oblivious to certain social guidelines and actions. Vivre cards were an unsaid way for lovers to stay connected when out at sea, a fact Ace almost certainly didn’t know. It was not uncommon for Marines to find the Vivre cards of notorious pirates in the houses of single women on islands when they did investigation raids. And the fact that she was both a marine and woman made Ace’s choice seem twice as risky.

But a part of Isuka knew she’d never use this card against him maliciously. As she took it, she vowed in her mind to keep it hidden and safe for the time being. After all, she’d sworn off trying to chase after him and now that they’d reunited and Fire Fist had proven he’d stayed his kind good natured self, she couldn’t in good faith use this card for revenge when she now thought of him as a friend.

She said what she meant. Not all pirates where bad and in some cases, they could even be good…

Soon after, Ace launched into a story about his crews first few weeks in the New World. Isuka eagerly listened to each tale and later walked with him to a nearby bar where the kind bar owner gave them both dinner on the house as thank you for Isuka’s hard work keeping the island safe. 

Ace took off on his striker the next morning, and Isuka made sure to omit the patrolmen’s report of a nearby pirate sighting in her own memo to HQ. Ace had every chance to hinder her while she was on the job. It was the least she could do to turn a simple blind eye.

He wasn’t causing harm and if anything, seeing him again left her with a sense of peace.


	3. Letters to Portugal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Isuka struggles to thrive in her role, her friendship with Ace starts to grow through their letters to one another.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no self-control and I wrote chapters for this fic until my hands hurt. I'm just having way too much fun writing Isuka. The fact that there aren't (m)any fics out there of her meeting the WB pirates is criminal. It would be hilarious, and we all know it.  
> Please comment if you enjoy this or have thoughts. These next few chapters are going to be pretty long...This chapter is a monster sized one compared to the others so buckle up. I have no concept of pace or word count.
> 
> Update: This chapter was split in half. The other half of it is now a part of chapter 4.

**Chapter 3: Letters to Portugal**

It was another year before Isuka would see Ace again in person. It started when she found herself receiving letters from a mysterious sender named ‘Trace” and soon after, found herself engaging in an ongoing pen pal relationship with him each month via the Mail Coo.

Isuka never pictured herself as the type to enjoy writing letters. However, after recent developments, she found herself reluctant to stop engaging with her “mysterious” sender. Maybe seeing him again had affected her more than she thought.

“Portugal E. Trace” as he had named himself, sent her a new letter every two weeks. As soon as she got each letter, she promptly responded by mailing her own the very next day. 

The habit became so routine during the first few months that the rest of Isuka’s crew became utterly convinced that she had a secret boyfriend she was writing to. Despite their misguided ideas, Isuka never corrected them. Better they make up stories than find out she’s sending letters full of funny stories about her days to a pirate worth 500,000,000 beris who couldn’t fabricate a more obvious nickname to hide behind.

She would be fired on the spot and brought in for questioning if HQ realized what she was doing, no matter how innocent the whole exchange was. So, Isuka kept it as her own special secret.

Ace never shared anything valuable about his pirate life anyway in his notes. He mostly told stories about his little brother or gave her updates on all his new crewmembers while hiding their true identities behind some poorly made up nicknames for them as well.

Isuka had fun decoding all the secret names Ace gave his crewmates when he told stories about them.

‘Marcus the Golden Chicken’ had been easy to match the 1st division commander of Whitebeard to and ‘White Mustache’ was an almost comically inept name for Ace’s captain.

On her end, she would send him an updated report the marines had on his ‘alleged’ baby brother, Monkey D. Luffy, and what he’d been doing since venturing out in the East Blue as a brand-new pirate.

At first, she’d hesitated on filling Ace in on the whereabouts of his brother, unsure if giving him news would cross some sort of line. But Ace would always send her a strongly worded thank you note back with his next letter along with a package of sort from the New World, usually containing some fun trinket for her to add to her now growing collection.

Isuka couldn’t remember a time in her life when she lived as happy as she did now, excelling at her work and eagerly waiting for a new letter to arrive each week. Her job was going exceedingly well. Her crewmates looked up to her and gave her both the respect and friendship she had always cherished receiving from being on a crew.

In the meantime, Vice Admiral Tsuru had contacted her, the two of them sharing a close mentor-mentee relationship ever since Isuka had been taken under her wing. The Vice Admiral praised her frequently for maintaining a strong amiable relationship with the various islands she visited and for making it easier for Tsuru to argue with higher command in favor of training more marines in haki sooner rather than later.

Things were coming together.

 _Nailing Isuka_ was more than just a fearsome swordsmen and marine Captain, she was beloved by the public for being a kind generous soul who helped civilians from all walks of life and even had a penchant for turning bad-apple newbie pirates on the sea into well standing privateers and reformed citizens through her own heroic actions and merciful examples.

It was everything Isuka had hoped for. A part of her wished it could last forever, this calm sense of balance. This clear sky before the great storm. 

+++

_(3 weeks later)_

_“Temporary relocation.”_

That’s what Vice Admiral Tsuru had called it. Isuka shuddered as the ship she was on sailed to the looming island in the horizon. Reconstruction for the Marine base G-5 was set to start as soon as the ship landed and of the names listed to help with such efforts, Isuka’s was one of them.

Isuka had known her reputation as an upstanding yet kind marine put a target on her back. Marines like Vice Admiral Draw existed en masse in the navy and were always a reminder to keep her ideals visible only through her actions, not words. Mercy and kindness were not well-loved qualities in certain branches of the Navy and some in command made it their mission to force conformity through punishment.

This had to be a punishment.

Isuka was always wary to talk about her brand of justice to others in case they subscribed to the ‘Absolute Justice’ foundation. Most fellow marines she met who took on that pillar of justice as their own and found out about her differing views usually took major offense and acted aggressively towards her for it and it seemed like now someone with more power had finally joined the party.

The warnings had been there. She wasn’t deaf and some marines in recent weeks had not been subtle on where their thoughts of her went. Echoes from the locker room she’d overheard rang in her head constantly.

_‘Weak and soft Isuka, letting pirates go and get off scot free. They’ll make anyone a captain these days…’_

_‘Who? Oh, the golden girl! Ms. All show and no substance. It must be easy for her to coddle her bleeding heart when she doesn’t have to face the real blood thirsty pirates out there!’_

_‘It’s any pirate. I heard that years ago, she actually had to fight this one crazy strong newcomer and got completely got destroyed by him repeatedly. Ever since, command just lets her take on the small fry. It must suck having her on the crew. I bet nothing gets done.’_

Rear Admiral Onigumo, a famously outspoken supporter of the Absolute Justice himself, had delivered the news of Isuka’s temporary transfer to the derelict marine base in the New World with a sort of smug glee the next day.

Vice Admiral Tsuru had warned Isuka of the possibility that her good work would get her tossed in more dangerous waters. Rumors may take a while to build, but they eventually topple those who are not there to fight them.

Being a female marine already made her feel alienated from most of her male crew. Isuka had hoped for a while that her name and reputation would keep her out of trouble, but lately good sweet marines like her were getting painted out as soldiers who needed a ‘true taste’ of the world’s cruelty to get them on the straight and narrow path of ‘absolute justice.’

She felt ill as the fleet ship rose and sank in large jerky motions against the harsher New World waters. G-5 was a trash heap where unruly and cruel marines where typically sent to take out their violent frustrations on any captured pirates right before stronger criminals ripped them to shreds on the water. The idea of trying to command respect and obedience from men like that seemed like an impossible task to Isuka, but failure isn’t an option.

She would have to tough through it or risk validating every hateful word spoken about her and her ability to carry out her job.

It was unlikely Isuka would ever be put back in Paradise. If she did her mission well, HQ would make her temporary stay permanent and if she did poorly, she would be branded as a soldier who needed to spend even more time there to grow some skills and flourish.

It was a known career trap and she’d been tossed in it.

Tsuru had sipped her tea, giving her a pitying smile the day Isuka prepared to leave for her departure.

“Never lose hope. If you do well, I’ll see what I can do to get you up to Commodore, or better yet, Rear Admiral. You’re too talented to lose and I’ll be damned if Sengoku let’s Akainu’s boys send you into the wolves’ den without a proper reward waiting after it’s all over.”

When it would be over wasn’t hinted at though. A bad sign if Tsuru was ever inclined to give one.

Isuka took a deep controlled breath as the ship slid up the coast and finally dropped its anchor. The crumbled infrastructure of G-5 stood in the distance; the wails of tortured prisoners echoed out and joined the drone of crashing waves.

It felt like walking into a nightmare, but she had a job to do and she swore she would not stop now even when things seemed bleak for the time being. Even if all else felt bleak, she at least had one thing to look forward to…

+++

_(1 Month Later)_

Dear Portugal E. Trace,

Thank you for that lovely red flower you folded against the paper in the last note. It’s been so long since I’ve seen one. Things like that don’t grow on the island I’m stationed at. Nothing really grows here to be honest.

I’m glad to hear you and your family are well despite how rainy it’s been this time of year. The dog you described in your last note sounds so cute~ I hope Kotatsu is getting along with him.

As per your question, things have not drastically improved at my job for me yet but I’m making progress, albeit in small steps. The men I worked with have finally started to listen and are at least staying on top of some of their duties.

However, more and more of my days seem to be drowning in paperwork instead of out at sea, helping people as I wished to do. Just when it seems I’m making progress with my men, my superior moves me back to desk duty. It feels like for every step I take, I’m forced to take two back.

I’m sorry to bore you with my sad stories!

On a brighter note, I heard wonderful news regarding your precious brother. I hear he’s healthy and fine despite being up to some mischief according to some of my gossipier friends stationed in the East. I hope your worries are at rest and that you take care in the next coming weeks.

I will hold onto this flower and use it to keep me motived. When I go on my next leave in a few weeks, I have decided to visit an island covered in nature if possible and that has some good food. You made a good point a few notes ago, life IS too sort to eat poorly and I should treat myself to as much delicious food when I can.

My figure be damned! At this point, I train too much anyway to really put on any weight as it is.

Let me know if you have any recommendations.

Best wishes,

Knocking Misuka

+++

Dear Knocking Misuka,

WHEN ARE YOU GOING ON LEAVE??!?! I’ll come visit. I will bring ‘Unmasked Moose’ and the old crew by to see you. It has been too long.

I get your letters fewer and farther between. It STINKS! I was planning to cross over the Red Line sometime to come see you, but since you’re here on my side of the sea, it’ll be much easier for me to get to you.

These guys you live with sound like a bunch of jerks. Scum like them need to be blasted into the sea.

Let me know when you’re off. If you need help finding me, use my card. My father and brothers want to meet you and I’m sure they’ll throw a party when they finally get to see you in person.

As always, thank you for the kind updates on my baby bro. I can’t put into words how comforting it is when you tell me about him. When we meet again, I promise to take you to the tastiest places so we can eat a ton!

Best,

Portugal E. Trace

PS: Skull says hi. He misses you a lot but I’m not sure why. To answer your question from the last note, I still don’t know how he finds out all the news he seems to know about you. I thought you were also sending him letters with updates about your career since he seems to know so much about it and was actually going to ask you why you did that but now, I don’t know??

+++

Dear Portugal E. Trace,

Haha. You are so funny.

I think I’ll take my leave as a time to reflect in solitude though. You seem too busy to bother right now. No need for me to meet anyone! I would hate to impose, and I haven’t even decided on what island to visit!

You just keep doing whatever you’re doing and don’t feel in any way shape or form obligated to introduce me to anyone!!

Three weeks is not a lot of time to sail around when I go on leave anyway. I would hate to trouble you. Maybe next year we can arrange a visit.

Right now, I can’t really risk being seen with pirates anyway. My superior has been more and more vigilant to penalize me for any little mishap and meeting your family is actually really high up on the list of things that could get me in trouble~.

Anyways, I must be going! So much to do and I have more paperwork to sort.

Best,

Knocking Misuka

PS: Seriously, don’t worry about introducing me to anyone. Tell Skull I say hi back. I’m not sure what to make of his…dedication to me or my career.

PPS: In case I wasn’t clear above, don’t feel obligated to come meet me or anything. I’m sure you’re just slammed with work I don’t want to be an inconvenience.

+++

_(3 weeks later)_

_Leave day #1_

Isuka felt endless swaths of guilt wash over her as she made her way through the tall beautiful groves of Apple Nine Island towards the large apple at the center of the town.

She’d given Ace a vague response to his last letter on purpose and hadn’t even opened the reply he’d sent her two weeks after. Already, the mere thought of meeting Ace in person in the New World filled her with anxiousness. But entertaining the very concept of meeting his new crew, the Whitebeard pirates felt like the punchline to a cruel joke.

Ace never scared her. He’d always been the talented yet slippery rookie who’d risen above and beyond the heights of infamy to her, but never a foe that struck genuine terror into her heart. But Whitebeard was. Of all the parties alive, he was easily the man Isuka felt like she’d never feel ready to stand against or meet.

She barely felt comfortable in the same room with men like Admiral Sakazuki or even Admiral Borsalino. The image of standing in front of a man who could go toe to toe and win against them both without breaking a sweat made her firmly reject the idea in her head.

She liked Ace. He was a good guy and at the end of the day, Isuka cherished their pen pal letters. But she also knew he was determined. She was a lot of things but naïve wasn’t one. He would try to see her somehow.

Isuka did her research before picking an island to go on leave at. FoodVaulten and Port Chibaralta Island had been firmly out of the question. Visiting an island that was known to be part of Whitebeard’s territory was beyond foolish if she wished to avoid Ace.

But Isuka also hadn’t wanted to waste her precious time away from the gloomy G-5 base at one of the rookie islands at the start of the New World. So many loud noisy pirates went there and Isuka simply wanted to relax on her time off.

So, she’d chosen Apple Nine, pretty enough to want to visit and hopefully obscure to the point of throwing Ace off her trail if he came after her.

So far, her plan was a success.

Isuka went from shop to shop, wearing her only set of vacation clothes. The memory of her last time on leave struck her. It was over a year and a half ago at Sabaody and had resulted in Ace escaping to the New World and Isuka changing her entire career course as a marine after Draw was defeated.

She sighed as she looked over the various clothing and food stalls. Her stomach growled only moments later, but she couldn’t decide where to go. She’d only brought so much money with her to spend in the first place. She wanted to pick a good place to make sure her meal was worth the cost.

Another broken promise. While she pledged to Ace that she would indulge herself more with good foods, Isuka could already feel the extra training she would be forced to endure once she returned to G-5 and her vacation weight hindered her progress.

As these thoughts plagued her, she scanned the various stalls of candy apples, apple pies, and apple breads. In the back of her mind, notable presence brushed against the perimeter of her observation haki.

_It must be nothing._

Isuka didn’t even take her eyes off the menu of the restaurant she was standing in front of.

This was the New World, many people had strong presences. It was probably nobody she knew and better yet, someone she shouldn’t talk anyway unless her identity as a marine be discovered.

Unlike in Paradise, the New World was drastically lacking in marine backup, also a reason why HQ was trying so hard to revamp G-5. If she was cornered, it was unlikely they would send anyone after her since she was only one person.

A strange warmth grew in the air around her. The island had been temperate today, strange since Apple Nine typically had snow on it for roughly half the year. Again, Isuka hadn’t worried about this. Climate in the New World was fickle, and Spring might have come earlier for the island this year by chance.

Perhaps she should have thought about that more before she left her hotel room this morning.

A firm pair of hands landed on her shoulders, causing her whole body to go stiff as a tall man with a strong hold on her leaned over her shoulder and peered at the menu in her hand.

“Hmmm? I don’t know if this is the best place to eat at. They don’t have any meat on the menu. They just put apples in everything,” came a familiar voice.

Isuka stifled the shriek building up in her throat as Ace draped the rest of himself around her both in a combination of a hug and confining hold.

“F-Fire Fist?! We meet again. How strange. I don’t remember telling you where I would be going on leave in our last letter!” Isuka stammered as she tried to wiggle out of his hold and turn around to face him.

He knew. Or rather, he must have realized she would try to avoid his attempts at coercing her to see his crew. But as she knew, Ace was a determined man, especially when it came to getting his way and even more scary, he often hid just how much he actually perceived behind his easy going smile.

“Yeah. That was weird. I’m glad I found you in time though! When you didn’t put an island name in your letter, I had to call some of my crew’s allies and ask them to tell me if a red headed lady arrived at their port just to narrow down where you were,” he said cheerfully, holding onto her just fine despite her desperate wiggles to escape.

“Did you think maybe that was on purpose?!” she grumbled, as he finally let her go and she turned to see him.

He was even taller than before. More muscular too. Ace was becoming a man both in his stature and the way he held himself. Gone was the happy-go-lucky teenage rookie Isuka had confronted all those years ago. Now he stood in place as an infamous pirate who had both strength and charisma to lead a major division for the greatest Yonko.

And here she was. Still the same height she’d been since she’d stopped growing at 16, stronger for sure but still hopelessly unprepared on how to navigate the New World. The wrinkles under her eyes from all the sleep she lost this year and bruises along her neckline from training where the only major changes to her and not ones she felt giddy for Ace to see.

Yet still Fire Fist grinned down at her with that uncanny look he always gave her, the same one that didn’t seem to register the same flaws in Isuka she saw in herself every day.

“No way! I know you. You’re just being too nice about not wanting to be a burden to meet up with, but it’s no problem. I can sail through these waters on striker faster than you could imagine!”

“aaaaAce…,” she mumbled weakly, hyper aware of the tightrope she walked on now. If she didn’t bring it up, maybe she could still salvage the day. Ace was good at forgetting little details and if she avoided the topic of meeting his crew, maybe just maybe this could be a fun visit that didn’t include her meeting the world’s most dangerous pirates face to face all alone.

It was telling that he’d ignored the all the subtext in her last letter, either on purpose or on accident. Just as she had feared after sending it, not being explicitly direct gave Ace the idea that Isuka was being bashful, instead of self-preserving.

“Well? Let’s get food! I’ll treat since the marines don’t pay you squat!” he laughed as he took her by the hand and led her down the street to one of taverns Isuka had passed by earlier.

Isuka grimaced. Her abysmal pay, even as a Captain, was something she’d only casually mentioned in a letter once, not thinking Ace would read too far into it. Looking back on it, if he remembered that detail, he must have really read through all her notes and kept the details close to his memory.

Again, with that trick. Always picking up more than he let on and fooling you into thinking he was oblivious. Fire Fist was a force to reckon with.

On the brighter side, the part of her that dreaded reuniting seemed to extinguish as he gleefully led her inside and the two sat down to eat.

She missed him and if he wasn’t so bullheaded about putting her in certain career & life-ending danger, she wouldn’t have avoided him in the first place.

Hours passed and Ace laughed as she told him stories about the new base and its pathetic attempts to rejuvenate itself.

It was easier to get everything in face-to-face and Isuka had forgotten how naturally conversation flowed between them outside the realms of letter writing.

In turn, Ace gave her endless tid-bits about his old and new crew, describing his current role as division commander and the crew’s adventures since they last spoke. It appeared his reputation had grown so prevalent, that Ace now had almost unfettered access to islands he previously had to tip toe around when he first arrived in the New World, as he recalled his early days after he left Paradise.

“It was weird not seeing you at every island, you know. Instead, we had all these nutty marines and even crazier pirate crews targeting us, which was way less fun,” he grumbled as he ate through his eight helping of food.

Isuka tried not to recall what a nuisance she must have felt like back in the day to him. Ace didn’t seem to mind though as he reflected on the memories with a sort of fondness.

“I’m glad to hear things worked out for you, truly,” she said once his last story was over. “Believe it or not, I was worried. This place can be so dangerous. I’m glad you haven’t gotten too hurt during your fights and adventures so far.”

The two ate comfortably in silence for a few moments. It’d been roughly an hour or two at the restaurant. Ace had piles of plates stacked next to him compared to Isuka’s measly two dishes and unfinished dessert portion.

“It wasn’t so bad. Once I joined Whitebeard, it got much better though,” he said gazing off in the distance. “It’s different being a rookie compared to being a part of a well-established crew. I don’t really visit islands anymore hoping for the best, I usually have people I can meet there, locals who are happy to assist us and things we can do since we’re not being hunted in our territory.”

“Oh?”

He nodded, looking at her again with that same smile but an expression in his eyes that seemed almost wistful.

“Yeah. It’s nice…being free. So much that I wish I could—,” he paused, really looking at her. Isuka almost felt her skin crawl but something about Ace’s look seemed soft rather than critical.

They had been building to this moment for a while now. If Isuka was asked to point out where Ace must have started to notice something in her, it would be after she replied to the first letter he’d sent her all those months back.

“…Isuka, are you happy where you’re at right now?” he asked, cutting off the thought he’d been building.

She blinked in surprise, her stomach, uncomfortably full, flipped as the question caught her off guard.

“Happy? What do you mean?”

He continued. “Every letter you’ve sent me since coming here is shorter than the last. And they seem more…sad. I know you’re working a lot and you like being busy for some reason, but even now you seem kind of off…”

If darkness could enshroud her and pull her into the void, she wished it would do so now. So, her G-5 depression had been noticeable in her letters…

It was true. This last month as a marine felt especially grueling, like walking in a dark tunnel, hoping to be going in the right direction and praying for the light at the end to start shining through.

She felt a hot wave of despair come over her at the thought of Ace’s growing worry for her when he read her notes.

“It’s—,” she started to say but how could she lie her way out of this one? Fire Fist had the uncanny ability to catch her fibs. Always had. Lying was pointless in this situation.

Plus, he was her pen pal. They wrote letters because being honest with each other was one of the perks it brought. There should be no reason to stop that now even when they meet in person.

He waited as she deflated and pushed her abandoned dessert away.

“Things are a mess to be honest,” she sighed. “There’s no sunlight at the G-5 base which stinks and the soldiers there are some of the worst marines I’ve met. Every time I make any progress with them, my superior forces me to handle some tedious below-rank task while he spreads new rumors about me so my crew can find new ways to undermine my command. I can’t make progress; but it’s my job and I’m powering through it. It’s unlikely I’ll be allowed back on my old ship in Paradise whether I succeed or fail, so I’m making the best of it. What else can I do?”

Ace gazed at her, a sort of resolve coming over him. Isuka could almost perfectly predict the next words out of his mouth.

“You should leave the navy and join my crew! You’ll be much happier. I promise!” he said. His hands grabbed hers, his body leaning over the table and the air around Isuka getting warmer.

To people watching their table, it might seem like Ace was making some sort of romantic plea to her. In a way, his offer seemed very much like that, but only more absurd.

Isuka took a moment to force her pounding heart to calm.

“Fire Fist, I can’t just leave my station. I’m trying to help people who need me, even if it means I’m stuck at that crappy base for the next few years.”

“You can help people with us! We’re a Yonko crew. We have island territories we protect and help civilians at. It’s better than working for the Navy!”

She shook her head, smiling sadly.

“I’m trying to change the marines for the better. I have to stick it out and do my best to set an example. If I leave, all my progress will be for nothing and people who try to follow in my footsteps will be seen at risk for defecting.”

Ace grumbled some more at her answer, less willing to relent than before. Each time she saw him, his resolve seemed to grow. How long before her own crumbled in response to his offers?

“If you do become an admiral or something, will you still be able to write to me though? What if they ask you to fight my crew, huh? We would be enemies then.”

The questions threw her but in a different way. A softness brushed up inside her heart that hadn’t existed before. She cupped his warm hands back in her own and held them.

“I won’t let anything stop us from being pen pals. I promise. Plus, you said it yourself earlier; you know me. I’m ‘too nice’ to hurt my friends in any way.” 

Ace seemed to accept her words for the moment as the two sat in comfortable silence, appreciating the surrounding restaurant chatter. Ace’s giant Whitebeard Jolly Roger on his back didn’t seem to raise any alarm bells with the local patrons.

When it came time to pay, the manager simply looked at Ace and waved him off, telling Ace to consider asking Whitebeard to throttle the nearby slave trading ships that had been sailing dangerously close to their coast next time they passed by.

Again, came her shame. Here she had the audacity to refuse Ace again, but his points still stood. Whitebeard did keep his people safe. Meanwhile, the marines where probably what allowed those slave ships to keep sailing unchecked.

The gloom grew over her again as Isuka exited and was greeted by the sight of the sun setting right below the horizon line. However, her moment of sadness dissolved as Ace followed her out and snagged her hand again.

“Hey, wait!” he said, looking enthusiastic again like earlier.

“Did you want to come with me on my walk?” she asked innocently, charmed that Ace seemed this determined to spend time with her on leave.

A small nagging feeling in the back of her head started to rise though. Had she forgotten something or was she just being paranoid from being relaxed for once?

“Of course! We can walk while we head to my crew’s ship. It’s just a little bit up the coast from here. We can walk off our dinner just in case Thatch tries to feed you when we arrive!” he replied cheerfully, the gentle grip on her hand turned into a vice like claw that latched onto her and started to drag her fervently towards a hidden part of the town’s docks.

“W-what? Wait _—"_

Ah yes…she had forgotten…Ace was hellbent on introducing her to his family. His big dangerous and deadly crew full of the world’s most powerful pirates.

_Oh no—_


	4. Meeting the Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isuka she finds herself unwittingly being introduced to her not-my-boyfriend’s family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [[[IMPORTANT]]] If you are reading this, please know that I took half of chapter 3 and added it to this. It made more sense for my pacing and sense of this story to make the meeting with Ace’s crew one major chapter instead of 1/3 of chapter 3 and 2/3 of 4. So if you start reading this and think “hmmm, this seems familiar” – it’s because the first part of this update has chapter 3’s old ending at the top. 
> 
> All the new stuff starts at “Maybe she'd stopped being afraid too soon...”  
> So if you don’t want to reread anything, CNTL-F to those words and you’re good to go. 
> 
> On a side note, Happy New Year everyone!! 
> 
> Hard core shout out to clarixeon for creating this awesome art of the story that can be viewed here: https://twitter.com/clarixeon/status/1339540225018585091
> 
> I hope you all enjoy this chapter and the ones to follow. Leave a kudos or a comment if you want, I appreciate all the support.

**Chapter 4: Meeting the Family**

_Anything but this._

At some point, Ace must have had enough of her escape attempts because he ended up flinging her over his shoulder and carrying her that way towards the massive white whale ship docked in the distance.

She banged on his back, begging him to put her down.

“Fire Fist! Ace, please put me down!”

He laughed.

“I didn’t know you learned how to use armament haki,” he praised as they drew nearer and Isuka ramped up her struggles, Ace’s fiery body no longer able to resist her hits with her new techniques employed.

But despite her effort, her struggles failed to free herself from Ace’s hold.

“I told you this isn’t a good idea! I really don’t want to—” 

Ace plopped her down at the front of the ship. Above, Isuka could see a swath of his crewmates gathered to see what the commotion was about.

Ace turned to her. “Come on! They’ve been dying to meet you!”

“Ace—I don’t know if it’s safe for me. I’m a marine—”

He shook his head, resolute on his decision.

“I asked Pops if I could bring you aboard if you came and he said it was fine. Come on! It’s totally safe! You’ll like it!”

Isuka didn’t know much about the actual personality of the Yonko, but the image in her head of Edward Newgate letting Ace bring her aboard like a parent letting their kid have a play date was at stark odds with her former idea of who he was.

She still wished to run and hide and ignore this whole idea Ace had about introducing her to his “brothers” and making them all pals with one another. If this was him trying to change her mind about being a marine, it wasn’t working. Why couldn’t he leave well enough alone?

Ace once tried to make her a Spade and she refused. Surely, he understood trying to welcome her to a more powerful and even more infamous crew wouldn’t change that choice. It wasn’t really strength or intimidation she was after when looking for a place to fulfill her dreams.

 _Well, what is it we look for then?_ Her mind went blank as she tried to process her panic and anticipation.

Either way, looking at Ace’s eager hopeful face, Isuka felt her resolve crack.

They’d come too far to turn back now. If she tried to run, Ace would chase her down and with his crew so close, he’d have backup if he wanted to drag her back.

It was her fault for not being clearer in the letter regardless and judging by the hopeful aura surrounding Ace, this was something that meant a lot to him.

Looking back, when she had received and replied to Ace’s first letter, she promised herself that she would treat him as a friend first rather than a pirate since he’d done so much for her. Now was her time to hold herself accountable to that pledge.

While her job was to hunt down hardened criminals who sought to hurt others and punish them, Ace had proven that he was nothing of the sort and as tough as it seemed to swallow, his family deserved the same benefit of the doubt right now.

 _‘I’m probably gonna die,’_ she thought as a trifling breeze swept through her red hair.

Lowering her guard, she allowed herself to walk up the plank of the ship with Ace.

+++

Once they were on board, Isuka was met with the familiar sight of Deuce and Skull waiting for them.

“Captain Isuka!” Skull praised as he went up to her and gave her a giant hug, like they were good friends that hadn’t seen each other in a while.

“I missed you so much. We haven’t seen your delicate face or precise sword techniques since Paradise. Congratulations on your promotion and I do say, best of luck at your new station. Vice Admiral Tsuru must be working very hard to get you that new rank as commodore from all this G-5 nonsense.”

As usual, Skull seemed to know things he had no business being privy to. Maybe he was the one who let Ace know where she was going on vacation. He seemed to have a record of hacking into Marine communications after all.

Once he let her go, Deuce came up, offering a weak wave.

“Isuka.”

She tried to give him a friendly smile back, but her nerves made her expression feel shaky. “Deuce. I hope the novel is going well. Ace told me you were making progress?”

Deuce, always awkward around her to begin with, must have been feeling nervous too as his face flushed and nodded, averting his eyes.

“Kind of. You know how it is. Writing is a…task.”

“Well it’s nice to see you both! Now if you’ll excuse me, I should be going—”

Ace’s arm snaked around her waist, trapping her as more crewmates came out to get a look.

A man with a pompadour Isuka was quick to identify as ‘Twin-Blade Thatch’ and a blue fishman she recalled being named ‘Namur’ came up to her first.

How neat. The sharks were literally circling her.

Thatch seemed almost amused and cheered at the sight of her, his brotherly gaze at Ace turned into a critical yet bemused look at her.

“Well well well, Ace. I never thought you’d finally let us meet your secret girlfriend,” he grinned as he peered down at her, like a hunter would at trapped prey. “You must be Isuka! We’ve heard soooo much about you~.”

Despite how intimidating he appeared, Thatch gave off the aura of a very amiable and friendly person. But his statement caused Isuka to go tense.

Beside her, Ace squawked in alarm.

“S-shut up! She’s not my _secret girlfriend_! I told you, she’s just a friend. Now stop with that shady look on your face!” The two swatted at each other, Thatch showering Ace with relentless jests about him bringing this ‘mysterious love letter’ girl on board and Ace trying to light his pompadour on fire.

The fishman, ‘Namur’ if she recalled correctly, came closer, sniffing the air around her as Isuka silently prayed to the gods on high to stop the blush taking over her whole face in its tracks.

The gods were not feeling merciful. Namur seemed nice enough until he said, “you both smell like the same food. You went on a date with her then.”

“I knew it!” cried Thatch.

Ace’s arm disappeared from around her waist as he pounced on the two commanders, both clearly more invested in tormenting him than intimidating her.

That didn’t leave out the rest of the crew though. Deuce came to stand beside her as the massive man Isuka knew to be ‘Diamond Jozu’ came out and zeroed in on her.

He was easily one of the larger members on the ship and one notorious for his battle prowess, able to fight and even outclass the admirals themselves on his good days. His gaze seemed more in line for what she expected, calculating and suspicious of her every movement.

An unwelcome thought occurred to her.

Did they know she was a marine? Ace might have forgotten to tell them.

_Oh no…_

But surely, Deuce and Skull hadn’t also kept it a secret? They must have told their crew mates that one crucial detail about her, right?

She snuck a questioning look to Deuce, but the masked man seemed preoccupied trying to hold Ace back for the moment.

Jozu kept his visit short. He gave her a shy nod after introducing himself and left as more commanders of great infamy and strength stopped by to observe her, all whilst Ace tried to physically fend off his teasing brothers. 

Next, the commander named Izo, a famed swordsman and sharpshooter who wore a kimono came near with Commander Haruta, a short haired pirate with a green blouse, and if Isuka’s studies where right, a famed talent for also wielding a sword. 

While Izo hid his mouth behind an elegant fan and waited from a distance, Haruta came right up to her face, grinned widely in excitement.

“Welcome to the Moby Dick! You must be Ace’s _secret girlfr_ —I mean pen pal that’s he’s told us so much about. I’m Haruta,” he said, holding out his hand to her.

It was the politest greeting she’d gotten thus far, but Isuka wasn’t here to judge the Whitebeard pirates on their manners. Many of them acted like they already knew her pretty well and Isuka began to wonder just how much Ace spoke about her.

“I’m Isuka. Nice to meet you all. Ace has told me a lot about most of you as well. Sorry to intrude,” she said.

Izo came in closer, studying her appearance. “I’m Commander Izo of the 16th Division. How do you do? I hope Ace didn’t drag you all the way here like that on his shoulder. Can we get you something to drink or eat? You are a guest on our ship after all.”

“Ace, you scum. How could you be so rude to your beautiful lady friend? Where are those nice manners you pride yourself so much on, hmm?” Thatch cackled as Fire Fist tried to grab him and two other chuckling crew mates a few feet away.

“Shut it!” Ace shouted, looking more and more flustered with each passing remark.

Isuka could see the annoyed twitch in Ace’s eyebrow falter though as he grinned. Despite the jabs, he seemed very comfortable around his crew mates and happy to have on here.

All the crew seemed just as close nit and bonded as the marine reports indicated when describing their family dynamic. It was nice to think that at least one Yonko ship had a healthy and supportive structure. The same couldn't be said for most crews in general, even her own at the moment could take some lessons from the Whitebeards on how to treat one another.

She felt envious for a moment but let it slide. It was at least nice to confirm in person that Ace was with people who cared for him and liked to have fun.

Slowly she began to relax as the conversation turned away from their ‘relationship’ and more towards other topics. She did find herself forced to stay alert though as some of the commanders started to ask questions inquiring more into her life’s details.

Haruta and Izo seemed especially interested in figuring out what kind of job she worked, thus cementing her theory that they didn’t know.

Why would Ace keep this a secret? Did he tell anyone the full truth about his letters to her or conceal it like she had with her own superiors?

Things got worse when the questions got a bit too personal. One crew member in particular stood out from the bunch and gave her shivers.

“Zehahaha. You look like a lovely little thing. So where did Commander Ace steal you away from? Do you think there are more ladies there I could maybe lure here like you?” a man who introduced himself as Teach asked her, leering down at her bust the entire time he spoke. 

Isuka felt the subtle need to cross her arms and scowl at him. Before she could respond, an unexpected savior came to her aid.

“Oui. Is this how you all act around other women, yoi? Back off,” came a relaxed voice. Isuka turned as a tan man with a blonde nest of hair on his head pushed himself to the front of the crowd gathered before Isuka.

She knew it was coming but seeing him in person with the rest of the commanders made the whole moment feel more surreal. 1st Division commander, Marco the Phoenix. Whitebeard’s right-hand man and a Yonko crew member only the admirals and a few select vice admirals were authorized to fight against during combat missions.

Him, Jozu, and Newgate where the big three HQ usually advised avoiding if caught in a fight with the Yonko crew. Jozu with his impervious diamond ability, Newgate being just who he was, and Marco the phoenix having the mythical power to regenerate indefinably in battle made all three pirates’ deadly opponents to marines who crossed them.

Marco came towards her but unlike his brothers, he seemed more genial and kinder in his approach, seemingly uninterested in teasing her or Ace. Teach cackled as he slouched off, leaving her alone.

“Hello there. I’m Marco. You must be Ace’s marine friend.”

The conversation around them froze. The following silence that hit was instantaneous. 

_'How did I let this happen?'_ she thought as a good portion of the crew members around her went from cheery to utterly confused and then guarded, a few backing away with defensive glares. 

“Ace’s secret girlfriend is a marine?! Is that allowed?! Are we being infiltrated?!” Haruta asked.

Behind him, Thatch came back, now seemingly 100x more interested in the situation and the drama unfolding. “Does it count as a marine invasion if Ace was the one who dragged her over here though?”

It would have been funny if he and a bunch of the others weren’t looking at her now with the faces of hunters ready to pounce at a moments notice.

Marco laughed at Haruta’s scandalized face as he waved everyone off. “Oyaji knew before you all even met her. Also, she’s still a guest on our ship. Stop behaving like a bunch of brats,” he chided.

The words of the 1st commander broke the tension as the crew members relaxed and went back to their teasing of Ace.

Isuka couldn’t help but let a sigh of relief leave her mouth.

Marco turned back to her, offering her his hand to her in a friendly gesture. “I’m sorry about that. I thought Ace would have let everyone know but he tends to forget about little details. I hope we didn’t scare you or anything.”

She tentatively took his hand, forcing herself to relax. "N-Not at all. It’s really nice to meet you finally. He talks a lot about you!" she spluttered.

While she'd been afraid only seconds ago, Isuka was beginning to accept that this hadn’t been so bad thus far. Most of Ace’s crew mates were nice, and nobody was trying to kill her. Even though they seemed unsure about her identity as a marine, many of the crew members still were open to hearing her out. It was pleasant being around such jovial people after months of dealing with G-5’s rude and aggressive marine staff.

Marco grinned, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. “All good things, I hope. I hate to cut this moment short, but Oyaji really wants to see you finally. I can lead you over to him if you come this way.”

The man that was quickly becoming her favorite of Ace’s crew mates had now solidified himself right at the bottom of her list as he started to lead her further away from the safety of the plank and closer to the looming figure seated further away, waiting for her.

_Maybe she'd stopped being afraid too soon..._

+++

“So why Apple Nine?” Marco asked casually as he led her closer to her doom.

“The n-nice weather…” she mumbled, trailing after the phoenix commander. _The nice weather._ If Ace hadn’t visited, her leave would have been at an island scheduled to have an icy rainstorm for the next coming week.

Beyond her view, a large hulking figure of a man larger than anyone on this ship loomed closer.

Edward Newgate somehow managed to be much scarier in person than in her mind even though she’d spent countless hours conjuring up the most frightening idea of what the man could look like to prepare for their meeting. As he sat in his massive chair on deck, guzzling what had to be an entire container of sake in one gulp, he tracked her approaching form like a lion watching an ant come closer.

The haki on this ship was already intense, her senses assaulted as soon as the Moby Dick had become visible to her when Ace brought her aboard.

But up close to the biggest source of power on the whole ship?

Just getting closer to Whitebeard felt more and more like shrinking into the floor as an invisible wall of power slowly crushed her with each step forward. Men like Admiral Sakazuki might look at her like an amoeba, but none had ever actually made her feel like one…until now.

_And I thought Ace was strong..._

As she processed this, Marco kept up his casual chatter.

“The weather?! Well that’s a first. I don’t know a lot of ladies who prefer rainy islands. Hopefully, Ace didn’t spoil your hopes for a cold visit,” he joked. Isuka was scared but not oblivious.

Ace was still across deck goofing off with his brothers. Without his presence by her side, Isuka could tell her worry was obvious to the phoenix.

Whitebeard’s eyes glinted as they came to a stop before him. Isuka dared not to meet his gaze as he lazily looked down at them, her heart frozen in terror.

_Don’t embarrass yourself. Ace wouldn’t bring you here just so his captain could destroy you!_

Her thoughts raced as Marco stayed beside her, grinning.

“Oyagi, this is Isuka. That marine girl Ace likes to tell us about!”

Whitebeard simply peered down at her, no visible malice on his face but Isuka couldn’t be sure. She made the mistake of looking him in the eye and quickly bowed as a greeting to remedy her mistake.

“N—nice to meet you!” she stammered.

_NICE TO MEET YOU?!?! Wow he must be shaking in his boots right now, Isuka. Way to look tough._

The navy would kill her for uttering such a thing to Whitebeard, a man responsible for sinking fleet after fleet of ships and beating vice admirals of every rank into the deck of their ships with every clash.

But here she was, meeting Ace’s captain like it was a friendly meet and greet. Surely Whitebeard must have grasped the absurdity of the situation as his laughter rumbled through the ship, softly shaking the deck beneath her feet.

“I had to see it for my own eyes. Out of all the people Ace has told me about, you’re the last one I expected to see on my own ship.”

She shrugged, unsure how to respond.

“Well, thank you for having me on board. I know I don’t come from the most welcoming circumstance but it’s nice to see Ace in a place where he’s safe and surrounded by good people,” she said evenly, keeping all her composure in check.

Whitebeard quirked an amused eyebrow at her but didn’t press. He simply smiled, as if the whole event was a fun scene for him to witness and enjoy.

“Any friend of Ace’s is welcome here. But I still find it so unique that the fire brat managed to befriend a tiny marine like you. You don't look like the kind of person I would imagine to follow Ace here and keep in contact with him. Did you both become sweethearts or something or are you here to capture him?”

Isuka shook her head, flustered.

“No. no. It’s not like that. We’re just friends. We used to be enemies in fact, but Ace helped me out a few years ago and well…there are just more important things for me to worry about as a marine than capturing him. Not that I could anyway.”

Whitebeard seemed intrigued by this. He rested his chin on his hands, leaning closer.

“Oh? And what would those things be?”

“Well...like people that I want to save. It's more productive for me to save people from natural disasters, actual dangerous criminals, and even their themselves if that’s the case. All I know is that Ace isn’t the kind of person who causes pain and harm to those who don’t deserve it. It's better for me to channel my strengths into helping innocent lives stay safe instead of wasting it going after pirates in the New World. I didn’t want to come here at all if I’m being honest…to the New World I mean! Your ship is lovely, I meant no disrespect—!” 

“Gurararara!!” he laughed, cutting her off. “Those are all noble goals. It seems like years since I’ve heard words like those come from anyone in the navy.”

She relaxed. His laughter soothed away her worries. When his laughter died down, he sat back took a breath.

“Yes. Those are all noble goals…I don’t think you’ll last here much longer though. If what Ace has told me is true and you feel the same, this sea will destroy you long before you can ever make an impact and help people in the way you want.”

She froze, shocked by his words and stung.

“E-excuse me?”

Whitebeard looked down at her, more serious now than teasing.

“I don’t mean to insult you girlie. But I’m an old sailor. I know your type. I’ve seen it, I’ve fought it…I’ve seen marines just like you rise and fall just as quick with that mindset. A soul like yours won’t last on these waters much longer. Not with the Navy. Good marines are always the first to an early grave and if you keep going like this, you’ll be next,” he said.

The wave of insult she felt fought against her decision to stay silent. He studied her face waiting for her reaction. Marco watched from the side as well, his expression echoing the same sentiment from his Captain.

“There are plenty of good marines who’ve lasted. You don’t know all of us!” she countered. 

He gave her a pitying look, like an elder chastising an ignorant child. Isuka felt anger sink in her chest.

This man was older than her and would know from lived experience if this was the case. But still, what about marines like Tsuru and Garp? Surely, he’d met them before. Didn’t Edward Negate know what upstanding heroes they were?

As if he were pulling the thought straight from her mind, Whitebeard shook his head, letting out a tired sigh.

“You’ll see soon enough, girl. This era is on its last legs. A lot of the purity and upstanding ideals the Navy boasts is for show. I don’t deny us pirates are a criminal and thieving lot, but I take that image and hold it up honestly for the world to see.”

He gave her one last piecing gaze. “I hope you make it out of here. I can tell your hearts in the right place, but your mind has yet to realize the corrupt body we're all trapped in together."

she couldn't respond. Something about his warning felt more ominous and worldly, like his warning encompassed the world instead of just her apparently feeble career aspirations. 

He softened. "Tell you what. Since you’re Ace’s friend and I don’t have any bone to pick with you, if you ever think about getting away, you can always come here. Really. I don't know many people, much less marines, who have the balls to come aboard this ship alone. Plus, you're letters made Ace very happy. For that, I'm endlessly grateful.”

She gaped.

W-was Whitebeard offering her a spot on his crew if she ever defected?

Insult, flattery, astonishment, and nostalgia all came at her at once.

This truly was Ace’s captain.

“T-thanks…I mean I already told Ace ‘no thanks’ like three times but I appreciate it, sir.”

He nodded, seemingly satisfied for the time being. “Good, well with that squared away then—”

“OYAJI!” Ace bellowed, running up to them in a hurry. It seemed he’d finally realized Isuka was gone and away meeting with his father figure.

Whitebeard grinned at his son, a real fatherly look coming over him that warmed Isuka to see aimed at Ace.

“Ace! I see you found your lady-friend here. What’s this she’s telling me about you trying and failing three times to make her a pirate? I thought you said she hates her job. It should have been easy for you,” Whitebeard teased as Isuka hid her face in her hands and Ace squawked indignantly. 

“She’s just stubborn. I’m working on it!” he cried back, his face turning red from either embarrassment or anger.

Whitebeard turned back to her, an old-man mischief that distantly reminded her of Vice Admiral Garp came over the older Captain.

“So, what kind of marine are you that hates her job but stubbornly refuses to leave? You don’t look like a New World native. It must have been a long journey to get here. Where do they have you stationed?”

She grimaced, fighting against her instinct to lie. She wasn’t really an important marine in the grand scheme of things, at least not to a man like Whitebeard. It was better to be truthful and not risk coming off like she was hiding something.

“I’m G-5.”

“What? Those guys suck!” Marco gasped next to her. “…Expect you I mean...You seem fine.” 

“That reminds me. We’re overdue to destroy their new base soon,” Whitebeard mused as the hairs on Isuka’s arms raised in alarm. “Maybe I’ll postpone it to next month. Who knows? Ace let me know when your girlie is on leave again, so we don’t catch her in our next raid by accident. It’ll be hard to convince her to be a new daughter if she accidently gets caught in one of my earthquake blasts.”

“Aye aye!”

Isuka chocked as the massive Captain and Ace laughed with each other, her face going white as Marco placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“He’s joking…mostly.”

She let out a breath. “Oh, thank god.”

“Even if you are there in the next raid, we’ll get you somewhere safe or just kidnap you. We’re not big on hurting friends of our brothers.”

And the anxiety was back. Wonderful.

The three pirates before her though seemed lost in their merriment. Isuka silently began to think if now was a good time to sneak away.

But as if the older man could read minds, Whitebeard looked over to his first mate after he was done laughing at Isuka’s reaction.

“Marco, tell Thatch to go start cooking enough food for a party. I see no reason not to have one tonight!”

Behind her, crewmembers further down the deck of the ship heard and roars of approval echoed around her.

_Guess we’re staying for the long haul then._

+++

Isuka’s feet felt numb walking away. Never in her wildest dreams did she ever see herself being called a ‘daughter’ by the world’s most dangerous pirate. Also, the very image of the Moby Dick arriving at the shores of the G-5 base would fuel her nightmares for weeks to come.

But all together…she was shaken yet…comforted.

Ace turned to her, grinning. “So, what’d you think? He’s great, right? He’s the strongest man in the world!”

She nodded, trying to match his enthusiasm. “He was much kinder than I thought he’d be. I’m happy to see you have a Captain with a sense of humor.”

His delight built as he guided Isuka over to the ship's galley. That’s how Isuka found herself with a drink in hand and a part of what had to be her first pirate party ever.

Pirates, despite all their misdeeds, certainly has parties mastered in a way marines could never hope to match.

There was no shortage of singing, dance and food to go around for all. In-between watching Ace pull pranks on his crewmates and joining in as the crowd sang some shanties with langue so colorful Isuka couldn’t help but blush the entire song, she felt her guard fully drop.

Whitebeard oversaw everyone, drinking to his hearts content as he bellowed out laughter when one of his sons did something particularly goofy.

Any nerves over Isuka being a marine seemed all but gone as Haruta approached her later and gleefully introduced her to another commander, Vista. The three of them eagerly talked swords and technique, Isuka shocked and delighted to find such kindred sprits on the ship.

She was the only dedicated swordswoman at G-5 for the moment. Getting to discuss the art with fellow warriors who also just so happened to be some of the greatest fighters to boot felt surreal to her.

Later, Ace tracked her down and snatched her away after Vista shot him a wink and told Ace he approved. Her own mortification only grew when Thatch came back, much drunker than before and cheerfully filled Isuka in on all the stories Ace gushed about when she sent him a letter.

But it was fine. Really. She found herself laughing like she hadn’t in months when Thatch decided to reenact Ace’s reaction to her last note and Ace had to be tossed in the water for trying again to make good on his threat to set Thatch’s pompadour on fire.

They were a fun crew and a good family. 

She wished she could say the same for her own crew...

+++

(Later)

She should be getting back to her motel room. It was getting dark and without Ace to walk her back, it would be a freezing trek to make alone.

_I’ll have to ask him to go with me._

The party had died down a few hours ago and Ace had managed to convince her to star gaze on deck before she left. They had sat and done just that until minutes later, Isuka could hear Ace’s soft snores emitting from his unconscious form.

She looked up toward him, the image of his sleeping face smiling as he dreamed would be printed in her memory forever.

_Or maybe I’ll just go by myself. He seems happy here._

She gave herself five more minutes before she would force herself up and start heading out. It was nice of Ace to introduce her to everyone. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity for her and in a way, she felt more worldly for being able to meet and talk with pirates like this. This world was such a complex place.

Isuka truly wondered if things could ever go back to being simple again. Marines = good and pirates = bad was such a far away reality from her now. How anybody could think these people where evil seemed like too major a conclusion to jump to, especially when she knew that the ones making it would never talk with people like Ace as she had.

_Five more mins…_

Her eye lids slid such. Ace was a warm guy. With him next to her, keeping her safe from any of his rowdier brothers, in hindsight, it shouldn’t have shocked Isuka when she fell asleep, her head on his shoulder, her consciousness swimming away as the night died down.

+++

(Morning)

“I wanted to ask you something.”

Isuka froze. This was by far the tensest day she’d had on vacation and yesterday she’d met a Yonko who caused earthquakes for fun sometimes. 

When she’d woken up that morning, lying next to Ace in his ship bed, Isuka believed that was the closest she’d ever come to dying from shock. If it wasn’t for her fully clothed form and with no hints of explicit shenanigans being present, she just might have.

She was an early riser, and when she fled his room, she found herself alone on the deck of the Moby Dick, only two or three crewmates present in the distance who where finishing up their night watch shift.

Ace had come out soon after, yawning and looking for her, oblivious to the serious bedhead he was sporting.

“Wassumatterrr?” he’d mumbled, his words a bit slurred from sleep but no less worried. Isuka had tactfully asked what happened last night and Ace simply replied she’d fallen asleep and he decided to let her crash with him for the night since she seemed exhausted and he didn’t want to wake her just to walk all the way back to her motel room.

Ace didn’t lie. Her worries vanished instantly but still, how could Ace not know how suggestive sharing a bed with a woman was?

Did he not see her as a woman? Was that way?!

_Don’t think about that too hard old girl. We need to keep ourselves sane._

Satisfied, she asked him to walk with her back to town. Ace’s face when she told him it was time for her to leave was crushed, it was the least she could do to spend a few last moments with him before she set off.

As much as Isuka wanted to say till next time…it really was doubtful they would ever get a chance to meet again. Someone at HQ would report Whitebeard being on this island sooner than later since there were always about twenty of more marine ships tracking him at any given time. Someone would then eventually dig up that she had been here at the same time and start to make theories.

Isuka was already mentally preparing herself for the day she was called in for a special report and she’d have to lie about not seeing any Whitebeard activity during her leave.

If she ever went on leave again and Ace came back with his crew, the coincidence would not be believed by her higher ups. And marines who were seen a possible turncoat…well something worse than G-5 happened to them for that sin.

“Isuka?”

Which is where she found herself now, about to wish Ace well and say goodbye as she stood at the front door of her motel. She had to pack after all. Her ship back to G-5 would leave later the same day…

“I wanted to ask you something. I know I keep doing it and I’ll stop after this one but…are you sure you don’t want to come with me?”

If she looked him in the eyes Isuka knew her will would break. So, she kept facing away, looking at the door handle.

“Well always be friends, Fire Fist. No matter what. But this is my choice and I need to honor it.”

He sighed, more frustrated than sad, but regardless he nodded in understanding.

“Ok then. I won’t ask anymore. I know it’s your dream and…I’m rooting for you. I don’t think I’ll ever like the Navy. I know I won’t. But… if anyone can do good things with the marines, it’s you.”

Isuka turned and hugged him. His words were much needed fuel to a fire that she’d badly needed to feel the warmth of.

Whitebeards words about her soul still stuck in her mind and made her worry.

“Goodbye Fire Fist Ace. I’m happy I never managed to capture you.”

Ace grinned. “Hehe. You’d couldn’t if you tried for a million years.”

She stuck her tongue out at him. Still insolent. He must have been a headache for a captain. His crew was lucky. She hoped this was the only thing she’d ever be jealous of pirates for having.

She hoped he would be safe. Ace was powerful, it was easy to hope he would last and live a long life.

Things might go south for her but for a guy like him…what could happen?

+++

ACE POV

Isuka went inside. The feel of her presence slowly drew away and with it, Ace felt a hole in his gut expand.

Of all his crewmates, she’d been the only one who kept slipping through his fingers. It was shameful. Roger would never have let that happen. Oyaji’s sympathetic looks at him last night still raked over his heart now, especially watching her go.

What would Luffy think? Another friend he couldn’t seem to hang onto. Or one who just didn’t want him enough to stay.

But Ace knew it wasn’t that. No, it was more complicated unfortunately. Isuka knew she didn’t belong with the Navy. Ace could feel it, even if she was too stubborn to acknowledge it.

Was she safer with them? Maybe. For now, at least. But if she came with him, she could be free, grow stronger and be a part of a crew that would protect her from anything.

It seemed like a no brainer choice to Ace but she’d always confounded him and the former Spades.

He would miss her. Miss the idea of finally getting to share the same crew as her. Missed the hope that they could spar against each other one day as friends instead of enemies.

Deuce was right about bringing her over. He did feel emptier even though he still had his family and knew Luffy was safe and well out there.

_I hope I never see her again._

It was a wish Ace loathed to make but one out of desperation. If he had to meet Isuka again and see her leave all over, he didn’t know how he would manage.

_My friend keeps leaving and doesn’t want to stay with me._

Only now it felt worse than before.

Something told him after this stunt, she would need to stop their letters. He knew how marines worked. Once they connected the dots of him and his crew being here at the same time as her, they’d interrogate her, keep tabs on her every move, shut her away if they ever found out she’d slept over on the ship as a guest.

It hurt to say goodbye. Sabo being gone never stopped being painful and in his early days out at sea, it was only the promise of seeing Luffy again that kept him going sometimes.

He’d built his own crew, now he had a new family, and for a while he even had Isuka.

But if Ace ever saw her again, it would likely be as enemies.

He didn’t want to fight her or have any of his crewmates go against her either. And he really didn’t want to force Oyaji to kidnap her. His captain wouldn’t let her die in a battle against them now that he knew she was important to Ace. But Isuka would hate him and never allow herself to truly join.

Ace hoped she would be transferred back to Paradise soon. This side of the sea was no place for her. Dreams here were made to be broken and the marines had killed their chances to do good here years ago.

It was all about conquering islands now and the Yonko wrestling territory from each other. A good heart like Isuka would be caught in the crossfire one day if she wasn’t careful. Oyaji once said The New World welcomed betrayal and backstabbing, and the marines seemed like just the kind to leave their own to perish when things got rough.

He hoped she would stay safe, but far away.

One day when he grew strong enough, he would try again. One day…


	5. A world without flags

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things happen. Isuka begins to realize she may never achieve her dream and worse, that maybe Ace won’t either.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> W-w-w-what?!? Two chapters uploads on the same day? H-how could this be? Is that allowed?? 
> 
> Yes. It is. I want to finish this fic before the New Years so there are no rules now!!!!
> 
> Anyway, things get a bit sad here but that's because canon One Piece has a lot of tough arcs when it involves Ace. Here it is though! Let me know your thoughts and I hope ya'll are having a peaceful end of the year.

**Chapter 5: A world without flags**

Dear N.I.

I hope you are well. I’m sure you heard, but there’s been a death in the family. Our fourth eldest brother had been murdered.

I know you expected to hear from ~~Ac~~ Trace but our second eldest brother has gone away to avenge him. Our black-haired uncle seems suspect to the crime and Trace has set out after him.

I don’t know what else to say. Please stay safe and keep an eye out. If you see our family’s second eldest son, please send him straight home. He might listen to you although I doubt he listens to anyone anymore.

I know you asked before, but I gave up on the book. I thought I was a writer but really, I think I like my life better as a healer. I even met someone I think I might like to spend time with the same way you do with Trace.

I didn’t know who else to tell. My brothers are the teasing type even if they mean well.

We might never meet again, but I had to say it to someone.

If we do ever get see each other again maybe, I’ll tell you more about it.

Best,

M.D.

+++

The last letter she ever got at G-5 was the only one she ever felt compelled to burn. The ones Ace sent her were tucked away and carefully hidden in her undergarment drawer. Nobody would ever go through them looking for letters.

But this one felt like one to burn away, like a curse that she could lift. If only.

In the end, she kept her last one. It was her only memento of Deuce. It seemed heartless to cast it in the flames when he'd gone through the trouble of sending it to her. 

She gulped, her mind willed away any tears she might have wanted to shed, both from relief and turmoil.

She was happy to be leaving this hell hole. Bless Vice Admiral Tsuru. Isuka’s name had been mentioned for the Commodore spot and it was hers.

But leaving the G-5 base should have felt better than it did.

At this moment, the New World felt like the only place to be, the only place she could do something if she even knew what.

Isuka watched the fortress grow farther away as the fleet ship she stood on sailed back to the Red Line.

The letter haunted her. Especially when news of a murder on Whitebeard’s ship had been confirmed by private intelligence.

Every other day, Isuka found herself obsessively tracking the newspaper, hoping for any updates on the Yonko crew.

Thatch’s retired bounty poster was the first true sign that a storm was coming. The man had been so alive and powerful when they met. How could he possibly die? She’d only known him for a day but thinking about him as gone forever filled her with grief.

Marine intelligence came in weeks after they confirmed his murder, warning any base teams to apprehend a defected pirate named “Blackbeard” now that he was separated from his crew. The G-5 branch never saw him; in fact, they never even got a trace on him before more intelligence came in that he was already in Paradise.

That was weeks ago.

And now Ace was going after him.

Isuka couldn’t recall much about Teach. Only that he seemed gassy and somewhat unsavory when they met despite his smiling face. She had been so sure there wasn’t one bad apple on Whitebeard’s ship. She couldn’t imagine how the betrayal had felt to Ace, who trusted so freely.

_We meet a lot of people who perceive more than they let on. I just hope Ace proves he’s just as sharp if he does ever see Blackbeard again._

Teach hadn’t seemed like a threat but if Isuka had learned anything by now, the most innocent faces could be the most dangerous. She hoped Ace would be ok.

He was powerful. What could happen? She needed to hold onto that hope and trust his abilities.

+++

It was her third week back at HQ when Red Hair and Whitebeard made contact.

It was the only time Isuka ever saw Vice Admiral Tsuru so grim and unsure. Crocodile being kicked out of the warlords hadn’t fazed the older woman.

Even this melt down at Enies Lobby didn’t shake Tsuru’s steadfast calm.

But the two Yonko meeting had done it.

Commodore Isuka was brought it and given some of Admiral Garp’s territory to patrol as the older marine hero prepared to set off and intercept some of the newer pirate rookies moving fast along the Grand Line.

Vice Admiral Tsuru and him argued in her office when he visited, Tsuru pleading him to talk to Sengoku and start preparing for a potential war.

Isuka felt her hope begin to shrivel. What in all the world could Red Hair Shanks have to say to Edward Newgate that would cause a war? She couldn’t fathom.

But her gut said it was Ace. She knew his younger brother idolized the Red-Hair pirate from their old letters. But that didn’t mean Ace and Red-Hair were equally bound.

She hoped it was war between Red-hair and Whitebeard alone, for reasons devoid of Ace’s involvement. Newgate would win just by sheer numbers and force. She was sure of it. And Ace was not reportedly with his crew, so he would be saved from any casualties incurred in the battle.

She felt truly awful for wishing such a thing. Red Hair from Ace's stories didn't seem so malicious either. But what was the alternative? Something was wrong and it seemed to grow stronger and more deadly each day it went unchecked.

And here she was, half a world away hiding from the real dangers. Some difference she was making...

+++

(Grand Line: Paradise)

It was a routine capture; one she would even call too easy.

Buggy “The Clown” was a mediocre pirate at best with a shoddy gimmick. She thought nothing of it as she slapped a pair of sea-stone cuffs on his wrists and hauled his screeching body to her ship’s brig.

As Isuka mentally puzzled out where to send the crew’s pet lion and if she could make a case to an animal sanctuary to take it, Buggy said something to one of her men that caught her ear.

Well…he shrieked it actually, but it was important anyway.

“DON’T YOU KNOW WHO I AM?!?! I’M BEST BUDS WITH FIRE FIST ACE! HE’LL BE BACK ANY MINUTE TO TEACH YOU LOSERS A LESSON! ANY SECOND NOW…ANY…SECOND!”

Buggy shot a desperate look to a handcuffed woman Isuka identified as “Alvida” sitting nearby. 

Alvida gave give a dry look in turn, the shackled woman already knowing things were hopeless; her face spared no ounce of distain as she glared at Buggy.

“He left two days ago after the party. I told you we shouldn’t venture this far near the marine base!!” she snapped at him.

Buggy blinked, his mouth falling open in horror.

Isuka’s mind was spinning though.

“You said Ace was here…two days ago?” she pressed, forcing Buggy to look at her. The clown sneered, reluctant to talk.

“ _Maybe_. I’ll never tell!!”

Still she pressed on. “D-do you have a den den mushi for him maybe? Something I could contact him with?”

Buggy reeled away, furious. “I WOULD NEVER RAT HIM OUT TO YOU!”

She wanted to shake him, but the very image of her violently interrogating a pirate prisoner made her own stomach churn.

G-5 had left its mark for sure. She searched around soon after. No den den mushi for Ace came up on the ship. Buggy’s attempts to bargain went ignored when Isuka finally concluded her search and confirmed he had no further information to trade for an easier arrest.

But still, this was a lead. Something she could track. He’d passed by on this ship two days ago. Ace would likely be at a nearby island.

If he was tracking Blackbeard, maybe she could intercept Ace. Maybe she could finally do something to keep him from getting into trouble. She would have to start digging into some classified marine files but...she owed it to Deuce to at least try. If she could find him, maybe she could convince him to go home. 

+++

“What do you think you’re doing?”

Isuka stopped cold in the middle of the report room as she turned to address Admiral Tsuru who stood, having just arrived in the doorway.

It seems her extra research lately had finally been noticed. Did this mean it was all over?

The older woman gazed at her, every movement Isuka made was captured and analyzed by the weathered marine woman. 

“Vice Admiral. I’m collecting this week’s intelligence report, ma’am,” Isuka said, saluting the older woman. Nothing fooled her though.

“You once told me you learned from your failures. That you were done chasing things you could never hope to catch.”

Tsuru waited as Isuka tried to find words to respond. When she came up with nothing, Tsuru continued.

“You won’t be able to find that fire boy by yourself, and even if you did, I wouldn’t let you go after him.”

She wanted to deny it. Isuka shook her head and tried to look flustered. “I-I swear I meant no disrespect. I never planned to chase him again. I really don’t care if anything happens with Fire Fist or his crew. All this news about them though is just…alarming. I thought if I could figure out his pattern, I could give whoever's on his case some help since I have experience tracking him.”

Whether Tsuru could see through her lie wasn’t discernable to Isuka. Instead, the older woman beckoned her over.

"So, you're tracking him, huh?"

"Y-yes?"

“You know all those refugees from Banaro island still need to be placed, right?” Tsuru pressed, gazing at her quizzically.

Isuka blinked, unsure where this was going. “Ma’am?”

Tsuru sighed, a grim shadow coming over her face.

“Yeah, I kinda figured you didn’t know yet. It was only a matter of time before your paper trial would lead you to the news that just came in. Did you ever look at my report from yesterday of what caused those refugees to flee?”

Isuka shook her head. Banaro wasn’t her territory and her tracking of Ace hadn’t led her there. Reading the Vice Admiral's reports seemed unnecessary unless Ace's trail would lead him there eventually...

_Oh no._

“Follow me.”

+++

They ended up in a massive conference room guarded by heavy doors with golden plate knockers. This was where all the admirals met when the most serious matters needed to be discussed.

Isuka felt tiny as she stood behind Vice Admiral Tsuru, waiting quietly against the wall as a steady stream of Vice admirals, Rear Admirals and finally, Sengoku and the three-core marine admirals themselves entered.

Other lower ranking officers came to stand against the wall with her. Only the highest-ranking members had chairs to sit in. 

The last person to enter was Vice Admiral Garp.

Isuka kept her eyes fixed forward and unblinking, but in her peripheral she could see Garp had a serious expression on. The one marine most known for his carefree grin and upbeat attitude looked grim and haunted by something.

What that would be came moments later when Sengoku started by announcing the World Government would be offering Marshal D. Teach a.k.a. “Blackbeard” a spot with the Seven Warlords.

When asked what he had done to earn such a spot, Isuka’s heart stopped when Ace’s name was brought up.

Fire Fist Ace, or rather Portgas D. Ace as he would now be called, had been defeated, captured and turned into marine custody by Teach.

Everything felt unreal. But judging by Vice Admiral Tsuru’s calm compared to the other members in the room, she’d already known when she cornered Isuka in the hall. Was this her way of telling her protégé that her goal to see Ace was better left abandoned?

Did Tsuru even suspect that Isuka was friends with him or did her mentor think this meeting was meant to comfort Isuka that her longtime target was finally behind bars?

Either way she felt sick.

“This is just one miserable pirate…Newgate has more powerful commanders this Blackbeard scum could have brought in. We shouldn’t just hand this title over when it’s clear this pirate probably cheated in order to bring his own former crewmate it. I don’t care if this filthy boy was a division leader. He’s probably not even worth the 500 million on his head if he lost to this no-name,” Akainu snarled, a few heads nodding as Sengoku turned to respond.

“He’s not just some kid, Sakazuki, and Blackbeard is a no-name by choice.”

Akainu quirked an eyebrow at this and Isuka felt herself fixated on their conversation like the rest to the room.

“Marshal D. Teach has been around for years. Word is he’s finally come into possession of a devil fruit that could easily upset the balance of power if left unchecked. Better to have him on our side for now. As for the boy…” Sengoku’s eyes darted to Garp.

If Isuka wasn’t so keen, she’d have missed it. Garp looked away, like what was coming would scar him forever. Only for a second, the old marine war hero looked afraid.

“Portgas D. Ace is, as our plethora of evidence suggests…the son of Gol D. Roger.”

+++

Isuka read through the aftermath reports of what was salvaged from Banaro Island after Ace’s duel against Blackbeard.

_Ace the pirate king’s son. Son of the pirate king. The pirate king’s heir. Gold Roger’s boy._

It seemed absurd. She hadn’t believed it.

Vice Admiral Tsuru had simply looked at her after the meeting. “Let him go. I don’t know what your relationship is with him. I hope to every god you remember where you came from and what you hope to do as a marine,” she warned Isuka.

There had been nothing left of the town when the battle was done. Reports suggested Ace was winning at first, but Blackbeard’s new alleged power just completely wiped him out.

Ace had been injured badly. He was brought to the lowest level of Impel Down and remained unconscious for two whole days.

“Of course, I do Vice Admiral. Please know, I will never throw away the chance you took on me. I’m simply…overwhelmed by the thought I fought against the pirate king’s son…that I let him escape all those years ago.”

She was getting better at keeping face. Lying. 

Tsuru nodded, appeased.

“I’m sending you on leave that week he’s scheduled for the execution. I put in some extra time for you to take, all of it paid.”

Her heart sank. Isuka nodded, the numb feeling creeping back.

Especially as Tsuru passed by her smiling, leaving her with one last warning. “You’re my student. I take great pride in you. But if I catch any whiff of you within 100 miles of Marine Ford or Impel Down, there will be consequences. Go East, go South, go anywhere. Just go far away. This is for your own good. Remember your flag. I truly don’t know your feelings towards this pirate, but you need to remember the world we live in.” 

+++

Vice Admiral Tsuru’s words to Isuka were never brought up again and her old attitude of trust and high expectations returned towards her.

However, as Isuka fruitlessly tried to think of a faraway place to visit for her leave time, the cracks in her heart grew more painful to ignore each day.

Whitebeard was right. Wherever he was, sailing with his crew and worrying about Ace, he could take comfort that he’d been right about Isuka’s soul being slowly drained by not going with them.

Her new day to day may have brought her back to saving people, but for how long? If the government cared more about killing a boy like Ace than punishing a man like Teach for his own growing list of atrocities, could they ever truly claim a moral high ground?

And some marines just made her anxieties worse. Some made it worse in a way that almost seemed directed at her…

The morning before she had to finalize her leave plans, things came to a boiling point. As Isuka ate her rations in the HQ mess hall, her ears were assaulted by the laughs of some men seated nearby. All of them crowded together in excitement.

“He’ll be executed. Finally. I’ve been dying to see one of these animals put down. About time.”

“Yeah, I hope the crew shows up. I know everyone’s scared but I hope they come. Sakazuki said it best, let's take out two birds with one stone. We can finally test out all our new weaponry on them.”

“Even if they don’t arrive though, it’ll still destroy Whitebeards reputation. I mean, his commanders seem to be dropping dead each second at this rate. Heh. Maybe by the time they arrive, all the strong ones will be dealt with already. It’s more fun when pirates realize just how outclassed they are!”

"I'm just happy that kid is finally being dealt with. We don't need his blood in this world. We should have killed him younger when he was just starting out. Avoid this whole mess in the first place..." 

All her self-control seemed to slip for a moment, but the damage was done.

“You bastards!” she roared.

“OW!” one of the men screamed as Isuka hurled her steaming bowl of soup at his face. The others jumped away, shocked by her outburst. 

The mess hall went silent. All eyes on her.

“People will die from this. Good people will die from this. You call yourself marines by celebrating the death of some boy you don’t even know! Pathetic—!” she started to yell before a hand clapped down on her shoulder, stopping her right in her tracks.

“Enough.” 

Isuka looked up.

Vice Admiral Garp had appeared and stared down at her, a storm brewing in his eyes.

_Where did he...?_

Everyone waited. The group of men Isuka was yelling at grew smug looks, waiting for her to get it.

It never came.

Garp turned to them, a silent anger laced every word he spoke. “All of you, brig duty for a month. War isn’t a game or a party. People will die and those like you who prioritize the wrongs things will be the first to perish when our enemies arrive. Never let your guard down and never underestimate how dire this is. Now go.”

The men gaped in shock but soon after fled the mess hall. By now, Isuka could feel the eyes of people she hadn’t noticed on her in the mess hall glued on her.

A few rows away, at the table Garp came from, Admiral Akainu watched her, a disgusted look on his face aimed right at her.

_Oh yeah. High command has the same lunch time as me..._

“And you…,” Garp said, looking down at her, annoyed but also confused. “Why would you ever defend the honor of a pirate you don’t even know? He’s a criminal. We hunt them down and put them away. They choose to do wrong. It’s only right for us to punish them, no matter who they are.”

This close to the Vice Admiral, Isuka could see his words caused mayhem in his own mind, like Garp was trying to convince himself more than he was her.

But the reality of their position made he realize she had to respond and find a way to justify her actions. Putting on her best poker face, Isuka looked at him and made her answer loud enough for all to hear.

“Excuse my outburst, sir. I only meant civilians and good marines are likely to die when the war breaks out. I meant in no way to defend the execution of the pirate scum we captured. I only meant to point out that celebrating his death should come only after we secure our victory, not before…”

Her answer seemed to work. She could feel the daggers Akainu and a few of his followers where staring into her disappear.

When she looked up though, she realized her words hadn’t convinced everyone.

Something in Garp’s face told her he knew she was lying. He let her go anyway, walking off and giving her the chance to flee she’d so badly been hoping for since she came in.

+++

"You used to chase him..."

She didn't answer. Garp must have sensed her mistrust. Surely, if he had good intentions, he would know her association with Ace was checkered with hints of problematic subtext in her file. 

“Well...if you want to see him…and maybe say goodbye, be on my ship this afternoon. But be quiet about it…and preferably unseen,” Garp said.

The older marine veteran had cornered her when she was walking back to her barracks alone. He was quick and unlike in the mess hall, his eyes where openly torn from the conflict burning inside him instead of carefully muted.

Isuka watched him turn and go. The cracks where back, her heart felt torn every second now. Why would he offer this? Why would he give her this one vain hope?

Ace was captured. It was a done deal and his execution seemed in every way inevitable. Why did Garp care enough to offer this to her? 

Later, after digging through some classified reports, she finally connected through Ace’s relation to Luffy and Garp’s family tree that Garp must have been Ace’s adoptive grandfather.

Was this a test though? Was he trying to trick her into revealing her traitorous thoughts or feelings about Ace? Or was she just being paranoid? This man had also fought Ace’s own father.

Maybe in his own misguided view, he saw her as a kindred spirit, a spited rival who wanted to get the last word in before the criminal they hunted got executed.

If it was, Isuka never felt more compelled to fail this test and completely wipe away Garp’s view of her, even at the cost of her own life and career.

Isuka stood frozen in place for a long time. Time she could have spent packing and figuring out a secret route to take to sneak aboard Garp’s ship. Time she could have spent formulating the prefect excuse to slip away unnoticed and free to take up his offer.

Tears started to roll down her eyes. All the time she spent, scared to move, was time she also spent finally acknowledging three hard truths to bear with.

One: She wouldn’t be strong enough to save Ace. Maybe nothing would. She knew Impel Down. She’d be slaughtered in seconds, even with her strength and skill.

Two: She was terrified to face him. To see him tortured, beaten and hurt. Defeated and shackled and waiting for death while she walked free and would live on.

Three: She had no right to act like his savior even if she did want to find a way to get him out. Ace had a family, friends who truly valued him. Meanwhile, Isuka rejected him time and time again. It was dishonest of her to act like she was above it all, like being a marine somehow gave her the special right to do good. Especially now, when being a marine was keeping her from doing right at all.

The tears dried and she wiped her face. Once she believed Vice Admiral Tsuru and Garp were example of marines who managed to conquer the system and use it for good. But it was clear now. The system had conquered them as it eventually would Isuka. She could do all the good her job allowed her to do but nothing it wouldn't, including saving Ace from his unjust execution. 

As the sun began to set, Isuka looked up and saw the World Government flag swaying away in the breeze at the very top of HQ tallest building. A reminder to every "good" marine. 

Her growing resent began to bubble over.

+++

Dear M.D.

I don’t know if you’ll get this letter or where you even are.

I’m sorry. About everything and about not doing more.

I’m being sent away and won’t be there or see you when it happens. I hope you stop it from happening.

I hope you and your whole family lives. Every one of you. Especially him. If you’re still alive and I’m still alive, I’ll come find you one day and you can hate me in person.

Or not if you prefer.

If it’s any consolation, I hate my job and my dream has shriveled away. I think you did it right. You followed your heart and even though you realized your original goal wasn’t the right one, you found a new one and are happy.

Mine has been dying a slow death. I don’t think I can save it. But I do hope you can save Ace and give him a chance to reach his dream.

I hope one day we can live in a word without flags. And I hope Ace lives to see it.

Signed,

N.I.


	6. Come Away with Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rejecting rejection runs in the family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like sad endings and you want to remember this story as something that could fit into the confines of canon One Piece, then don’t read this chapter. 
> 
> But if you don’t prefer sad endings and read fanfiction because sometimes you need alternate conclusions to a story’s canon universe to overcome the salt and sadness that the real life story made you feel, you’re in luck and I DO recommend you give this chapter a read. 
> 
> Anyways, let me know if you all like this. Thanks again for all the comments, notes and kudos that have been sent my way. They are much appreciated and really help to keep up morale when finishing a long chapter. 
> 
> If you haven’t already, please check out clarixeon and the art they made for this story. Still so flattered and touched that they made this. Link for it is here https://twitter.com/clarixeon/status/1339540225018585091?s=19
> 
> PS: Lol, I went into this chapter thinking 'hmmm, let's keep it short and sweet. Brevity is important. People like it short and to the point!'  
> 9k words later, 'hmmmm, we need to learn to trim. Yes, trimming is important. Brevity shmevity but also dang that word doc is way to big to be for a short fic so yeah...'

**Chapter 6: Come Away with Me**

Garp’s ship was delayed. How could this be Isuka would never know, she was thankful for it, nonetheless.

She swiped away the rogue tears trailing down her face as she walked down the long bustling halls of HQ. Everybody was buzzing with energy, some giddy, others terrified. 

Her thoughts flew to the letter she sent to Deuce right before she had gone to bed that night, believing Garp’s ship to be gone along with her sense of integrity and worth.

But behold, when she arrived at the shipyard that morning, it was still there like a beacon to her sanity.

Her dreams the night before were ravaged with images of Ace on an execution block, her own hand wielding one of the ceremonial blades aimed at his neck. She had awoken with a start and was unable to fall back to sleep for the rest of the evening, staring at her rooms ceiling until the sun peeked out in the horizon.

Seeing Garp’s ship still stationed at the dock sent chills down her spine. Marine vessels were delayed all the time, but this seemed like a sign.

The strangle hold growing tighter around her heart was too much and the very idea of reaching her destined vessel for leave departure felt like the last thing she could ever bring herself to get do now.

Her sorrow for Ace was making her reckless and she knew this but really what was the point in trying to fight it?

She could not go on, knowing he was going to die and that she did nothing to stop it. For all that was good in the world, Ace had risked everything to help her in her time of need against Draw. His own time seemed so much more perilous and insurmountable but Isuka felt deep within that any effort she put in to help Ace was better than nothing.

Deuce, Skull, every other Spade pirate and surely Whitebeard himself with all his might were probably each gathering to come help Ace right now.

Maybe she wouldn’t make a big difference, small and unintimidating Isuka who practically fled the New World when they opened the Red Line up to her…but she had to try. At least before she ended her life as a de-fanged marine like Tsuru or Garp…or worse, a traitor once intelligence finally figures out where all her letters go.

Isuka stood in front of the dog-faced ship, nervous as she waited for passing glances to look away from her.

Would anybody object if she boarded now? She still had on her uniform on and she could probably bribe someone to tell Tsuru that she’d left early for her leave time to buy her a few days unnoticed.

Plus, it wasn’t as if the command center wasn’t already deeply preoccupied with other matters. One out of place marine wouldn’t turn any heads when they were preparing for a Yonko invasion.

On top of all that, word about Ace’s brother, Luffy, came in over the weekend. The young rookie had apparently taken down Gecko Moriah and made the front-page news right before reports of Ace being brought in were presented.

The reports of the battle and the Shikibukai’s defeat made the papers retelling a story Ace would have wanted to hear for sure. Another pang in her heart as she imagined him never getting to see his mysterious yet constantly raved about brother ever again.

She wondered what his brother must think, if he even knew. If Luffy was truly his brother, the government would go after him next for sure even if Garp had a change in heart and tried to interfere to spare at least one of his grandsons.

Regardless, the boys crew, The Straw Hats or something, were probably headed to Sabaody for now. Hopefully if they made it across the Red Line soon, where they would be safe although the New World was not really what she would call a haven of any sorts.

He seemed kindhearted though. Surely the large smiling face on the kid’s bounty poster belonged to a boy with a heart to match Ace’s. It just seemed so unlike Ace to cherish a brother who didn’t embody all his own best qualities.

But again, now he would be at Sabaody, a terribly risky place to be given where current affairs where headed. Isuka briefly wondered which marine might have been assigned to Strawhat; with a bounty as large as his, surely command had sent someone after him much like she had been assigned to track Ace until the Red Line.

She shook her head. Getting lost in her thoughts couldn’t happen from now on. Strawhat wasn’t her priority. This was about Ace and what she intended to do now that her options where still open.

By the time the morning bell rang, and the rest of the base soldiers came out for training, Garp’s ship had departed.

Stowed away in the hull, carefully out of sight, Isuka sat in the dark and waited. She had no solid plan for what she might do once she arrived at Impel Down, but whatever did happen, Isuka was determined to make it count at all costs.

+++

The sea current between Marine Ford and Impel Down made the journey swift and speedy.

During that time, Isuka started to put her plan into action.

Being on Garp’s ship had revealed several factors in her favor.

One: nobody really knew her. Some of them might have known the name ‘Nailing Isuka’, but nobody suspected her at all just by her appearance, especially when she went out of her way to refer to herself as ‘Isoka’ for the sake of discreetness when asked about her identity.

Two: there was loose uniforms everywhere. Plenty for her to snatch and carefully dress down in. Her status as a Commodore would raise flags, not something she wanted at all. But an average officer uniform? Perfect if she wanted to blend in.

And three: every single soldier (minus Garp) was terrified of going into Impel Down. Many grouped together in the cabin area, desperately trying to find ways to ask the Vice Admiral to let them stay back. Isuka had all but jumped at the chance to take one of Garp’s escorts off their shift spot so long as they didn’t ask her any follow-up questions as to why she was taking their place. She just needed to find a way to get close to Ace as a start. 

It was easy at first. But things soon got complicated too. Isuka was kidding herself if she truly believed the knowing glances Garp had snuck at her downturned hat-wearing-head weren’t filled with the older marine’s knowledge that she’d taken his offer and was here trying to hide. Why he didn’t confront her was another question entirely.

If this was at test, she’d likely be walked right into a cell when she went inside with him, but hopefully, she could sneak away when inside or find a way to make her proximity to Ace work in her favor before she was captured.

By the midafternoon, Impel Down was visible in the distance. Each soldier rushed to prepare for landing.

When the ship arrived at the prison, all her thoughts seemed to freeze as she felt an urge to run away just as fast when she finally set foot down on the unloading dock.

If not for her time at the G-5 base, Isuka would have hurled when the stench of blood and waste hit her nose. She gulped back the bile that threatened to come forth and silently prayed Garp had ulterior reasons for letting her keep up this ruse as she and a few others were led in with the Vice Admiral.

Isuka measured that she at least had a day or two to figure something out now and luckily, the element of surprise was still on her side.

“Vice Admiral Garp!” a young messenger soldier called, coming up from being.

In front of Isuka, the dark mouth of Impel Down’s entrance lay open, waiting to consume them. The Warden himself was soon to come out, a man Isuka had heard much about back at HQ; someone she would have liked to have met in literally any other setting or situation.

“What is it?” Garp barked, growing impatient.

“Sir, the Fleet Admiral called. Twenty-six of the patrol ships around Whitebeard’s territory are confirmed missing. They want you back at HQ as soon as possible!”

Goosebumps broke out across her arms, as it did for a few of the marines listening nearby.

Isuka didn’t want to think what Ace’s crew must be like right now: hurt, angry, and more murderous than ever. She didn’t envy the job of those who would be sent to replace the fallen ships.

Garp growled, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Tell them I’ll be setting off again tonight. But for now, I have business to attend to.”

That seemed to wrap the matter up for the moment. Garp pushed forward as the elevator to enter the prison came up. Isuka and four other guards followed. The eyes of Impel Down’s own staff weighed on her as she felt all their cold vulture like glares trial after her.

Up ahead, a woman Isuka had heard someone call ‘Sadi’ stood, wearing a more unique and ‘sexy’ looking prison guard uniform and grinned at Garp’s oncoming group from beneath her thick ginger hair.

“Right this way, Vice Admiral. We’ve kept the prisoners… _mmmmm_ \-- _sssooo_ comfortable,” she gushed, her face glowing in a way Isuka was almost scared to characterize as…aroused.

Garp barely acknowledged this as his face grew grimmer.

“Three of you come with me. The rest of you, stay back. I need you all to decide who will be staying behind to help the escort ship in the next few days.”

Isuka rushed up just as Garp’s words registered in her head. She paused.

As the second elevator down came to retrieve the group destined to go below, Isuka felt her hands itch as she struggled to figure out her next step.

She was here, getting closer and right in the belly of the beast. Ace was so close. But what next after that? Yes, she could go with Garp, but they might not let her even get to the bottom level where he was, and she had no plan after that.

But here? 

_I need the key…and I bet whoever stays behind gets entrusted it._

If Ace was slated for execution, a marine would be put in charge of his cuff keys and other ceremonial trinkets that command liked to keep on hand for the occasion.

She swallowed her nervousness down in her throat and fell back as a trio of soldiers rushed to Garp’s side. The older vice admiral didn’t even turn to see if she followed. Isuka was probably the last person on his mind right now anyway.

As Garp and his escort where taken below, Isuka trained her sights on the remining people around her. The marines she came in with where cowering in the corners, too distracted to be any bother.

Nearby, Isuka eyed Sadi and a few other guards, gathering supplies for the crew for when Garp came back up.

Bingo.

Isuka imagined a veil cloaking her face as she went up to Sadi, putting on a mask as professional and command worthy as she could be. She needed to make some new friends here if things were going to work.

“It’s nice to see command finally had the guts to put more women in this place. It takes a strong leader to keep an operation like this running so smoothly. You seem like a great fit,” she said, the perfect blend of detached yet praiseworthy.

She was the first to admit, marine women shared a bond with each other, even if only slight since they were all crunched together in a job utterly dominated by ego driven and sometimes suffocating guys. It was rare and nice to find other women on the job you could talk to, especially in isolated sectors like this.

It was a silver lining that unified them and Isuka suspected the situation was the same here, no matter how weird this woman seemed. 

Sadi turned her head to Isuka, a serpentine smile crossing her face.

“Oooohh~ and who might you be? I don’t need the compliments of some marine. I run this prison _mmmmm_ —perfect! I don’t need approval. I just need to hear my pets scream,” she purred.

_So, she’s a sadist…figures…hmmm, but I may have just the thing we can connect over._

“Isoka. I’m a former member of the G-5 unit myself. I never meant to impose. I’m sure you’re more than capable, but I’m curious about the whole operation. I’m such a fan of the work that goes on here. I’m just dying to know how your team manages to hold everything together.”

The lies came easy and seemed to work as Sadi paused when she heard this. A genuine flush of wonder coming over her face.

“G-5? Ohh~ oh, yes how savory. Hmmm. Hmmm, I knew I sensed a kindred spirit in you,” she breathed, snaking an arm around Isuka’s waist and pulling her to her side.

Isuka would have given anything to be anywhere else as Said led her to the monitor room to give her a full run down of the prison and its many features and techniques for prisoner “behavior reinforcement”, but as soon as they entered, her eyes landed on the box labeled and signed for Garp’s transport and the room practically screamed “inside eyes” for her plan that demanded she carefully plot out each step going forward. 

And on top of the box, a very noteworthy key lay with a chained looped around it that said, “TOP CLEARANCE ONLY”.

As Sadi rambled on for the next hour about the various floors and methods of torture they used, Isuka worked to keep her face calm and expression mildly interested as she studied the key and made sure to have herself be the one this box got passed to for Ace’s transport.

Again, G-5 had killed any inclination to feel squeamish about these sorts of things in her gut long before Sadi. And it was important Isuka make a few friends here, even if they were unsavory.

Garp’s transport would head out soon and if Isuka was friends with the top guards here, they would likely keep her, let her onto the ship that would take Ace to Marine Ford and then…and then she would strike.

+++

Garp emerged from the depths of level six hours later, looking haggard and worn. Isuka stayed back, Sadi now gone but another guard, the Chief Jailer Domino by her side chatting with her amiably

Domino was different and much easier to befriend. The woman had the face of professionalism Isuka so enjoyed working with after hours of Sadi’s gushing words and M-rated speech subtext.

Garp barely spared a glance as the crew that had been lucky enough to go with him followed him out and rushed to set sail.

Before they left, one of the men came and passed along the key to Ace’s cuffs to Isuka, not even noticing she had positioned herself just so she was the easiest person to give it to before he turned away.

“Make sure when you board Vice Admiral Momonga’s vessel in the next few days, this goes on board with you. HQ wants to keep it close in case we need to use it.”

Isuka was baffled at the notion there would ever be a reason why Ace would be let go by the marines to warrant keeping a key to his cuffs nearby.

But then again, Marines had a history of keeping things that would unravel their plans very close indeed and luckily for once, it wasn’t being against Isuka, but rather she was the one using it to her favor.

Her fist clenched around the key. The weight of it felt like a hot coal against her skin.

Ace’s freedom, his literal freedom pressed in her hand. Exhilaration and helplessness drove straight through her being. What good was this in her feeble hand when Ace was miles below her. Would she be able to pass it to him?

How much longer could she last here before word got out of her disappearance?

Life was testing her. It had to be or else the universe actually did like torturing her and Isuka couldn’t handle more animosity from the forcers around her at the moment.

_Be patient and wait. We’ve come this far. Any difference we make might be worth it. Just…wait._

+++

The day of Ace’s transport finally came. And with it, a sequence of events so chaotic, Isuka thought for a moment her whole plan needed to be scrapped and abandoned.

Being in Impel Down made outside news unreachable for most of her duration. It had only been a few days, her relationships with Domino, Sadi and a few other major guards made Isuka well-liked and happily left to her own devices at the top floor.

She hadn’t dared venture below, afraid to see if any of her past arrests might recognize her, so her days were spent at the top, watching the cameras on the monitor room of Ace sitting in his cell silently and unmoving and waiting for his execution day to arrive.

His imagine twisted her gut. She was cutting it close with her plan and Ace didn’t look well enough to last long. He looked hungry and tired. His body still showed signs of injury from his fight a few weeks back even on the video feeds grainy image.

If Sadi’s bloodlust was anything to go by, he’d likely been tortured a bit too when he arrived by some of the prison guards.

But these thoughts were interrupted when news came that Boa Hancock was approaching the prison to see him.

What news the Pirate Empress had with Ace, Isuka was scared to even ponder.

She was the most beautiful woman in the world and for the sharpest second, Isuka felt almost insignificant and pathetic, jealously fuming that Ace might not see her as she’d hoped he might before she squashed the petty schoolgirl thoughts in her head.

_Ace’s other relationships are not my business. I’m the one who always rejected him…even if I wish I could take it back now..._

But even more chaos reigned in, whisking these ruminations away and pushing through many other.

One example stood out from the bunch.

Straw Hat Luffy had broken in. When Isuka saw Ace’s brother on the monitor room camera’s, her jaw hit the floor and she almost fainted

The boy was AS CRAZY as Ace described and more.

He was charging through the prison, releasing people, fighting beasts and honestly, causing Sadi and her team to dissolve into hysterics as he wrecked trap after trap after trap on his way down and presumably to his older brother.

At one-point Isuka had been called in to be backup to a few guards on the second floor.

The place was a nightmare, but she held her own, shoving violent prisoners back in their cells while avoiding the towering beasts that devoured those who could not escape in time.

She wished she’d brought her sword with her. That one weapon alone would have made Isuka feel more secure this entire mission, but she’d left it behind with the rest of her career back at HQ.

That was when she saw Luffy, coming straight towards her, eyes full of desperate energy and fury as he catapulted his way forward, seeing nothing but the way forward and past her defenses.

Isuka, not knowing what more she could do had simply stepped out of his way as he drew closer and coughed into her hand when she quickly noticed Luffy was not even headed in the right direction.

 _*cough*_ “…The stairs are to the left” _*cough*_

Luffy had looked back at her in alarmed and had reasonably seemed jarred by her help. This weird strange woman wearing an enemy uniform was aiding him, but before he could react, Isuka had fled. Distancing herself from the boy while acting like she had more important prisoners to attend to while more guards rushed forward as backup.

She didn’t know what Luffy’s plan was. She was nervous to think what might happen to the boy in here, but at least other people were out there trying to free Ace. Albeit in their own unique ways.

But his efforts would be for naught as hours later, news of Luffy’s defeat to Warden Magellan reached the monitor room once Isuka had returned.

After that, more and more her spirits began to plummet.

If Luffy died, Ace would forever be inconsolable. His life right now was paved with trail as his identity as the son of the pirate king would already put a target on him forever if he was to get free.

But his own brother dying?

As the prisoner riots raged and the Impel Down staff rushed around in desperation, Isuka was left alone in the monitor room, waiting for Ace’s transport ship and holding the key to his freedom securely in her hand. 

Would he even want to live after that?

+++

Of all the things that had brought her fear this week: camping out in the soldier barracks of Impel Down under a false name, anxiously waiting for Tsuru or someone in intelligence to arrive and confront her on why she wasn’t on leave, and living through a massive prison riot that almost overtook the guards here, it was the news that Blackbeard was on his way that terrified Isuka more than anything.

Teach was the figure that occupied the back of her mind when she pondered the state of Ace and his crew. That one unsettling presence from her visit to Whitebeard that still lingered.

The man who killed his brother and sent another to die soon after. What could he want here? What more could he gain from coming to see Ace suffer?

No matter.

He wouldn’t get the chance, Isuka thought, as the hour had come. Ace was being dragged out of his cell at the moment and led up the elevator from floor 6. 

On the camera, Isuka watched as Warden Magellan’s lips moved, the poison logia no doubt speaking to Fire Fist as they grew closer to the exit.

Hancock had departed the day before, but Vice Admiral Momonga stayed behind, charged with bringing Fire Fist to MarineFord.

He would be a difficult opponent if she had to fight him. But that might not be a problem once Ace was free…if she was able to do it.

Her thoughts were interrupted as onscreen, something seemed to enrage Ace and the battered pirate flung into action, biting down on a pitch fork one of the guards was holding and using it to fight and try and punch his way out of his escort.

Isuka gasped as Magellan quickly slammed him into the ground, crushing him down on the floor as Ace’s face struggled between rage, desperation and defeat.

_He knows about Strawhat…the warden must have told him…oh Fire Fist._

It would only make the next moment harder as Isuka finally exited the sanctuary of the monitor room and went to meet with the rest of the marines Garp left behind and the one’s coming in with Vice Admiral Momonga.

Seeing Ace up close in person without the cameras or her imagination filling in the gaps was harder than she ever thought.

His eyes lifted with dead and muted distain, glaring at each marine around him like scum.

Then he saw her.

To the average looker, his expression didn’t change. But to Isuka, she could see the flash in his eyes. One of confusion, wonder, betrayal and finally…apathy.

She gulped. Steeling herself, Isuka waited as Momonga came forward with his men and pushed Ace forward to their awaiting ship.

“Do we have all the necessary items from trade off?” the Vice Admiral barked, sparing her no look.

“Yessir!”

“We set off now then. Before anything else happens. Take heed, Fire Fist. This will be your last voyage on the sea. The might of justice awaits you at our next stop.”

Ace didn’t react to Momonga’s words. Isuka followed behind the massive squad surrounding him, guns trained on Ace as they walked to the plank and out to the massive marine warship waiting up ahead.

It was the final hours of the day and darkness would soon cast itself over the waiting sea.

+++

Ace was silent for the beginning of the voyage. It would take them exactly seven hours to reach Marine Ford like this.

A circle of soldiers always stood around him, making Isuka’s wish to get close impossible.

Instead, she got to work preparing the other logistical steps in her plan.

During her time at Impel Down, Domino had revealed to Isuka that Ace’s striker was in storage, the vessel being brought in to eventually be shipped out to the marine tech & equipment branches for study after it was brought in with the Fire logia and his other belongings.

Isuka had swiped it in the last coming days, carefully tricking a few guards into taking a box she’d hid it away in onboard to the lower decks for storage. Few people questioned her when she was in her Commodore uniform, making her thankful she’d hung onto it this long into her mission.

But Isuka kept getting close calls. On more than one occasion, she’d had to change her uniform in some rather embarrassing and risky places when higher officers got close, to avoid suspicion as to why an unrecognizable Commodore was on deck as opposed to the lowly petty officer she’d been pretending to be.

As Isuka fished Striker out of the box and dragged it over to the side railing in order to lower it down into the water for instant take-off, she thought about her next move.

She didn’t know how, but the key needed to get into Ace’s hand. He would know when the best moment to break free would be for him, but he had to be the one to take it.

With Striker lowered, Ace would have a way off this ship but in the event this wasn’t the plan he wanted to follow, Isuka wanted him to have the key in case he wanted to get free while on the execution block…when his crew would likely be invading to offer backup.

 _Hopefully that won’t be the case_ , she shuddered.

If it came to that, she’d be at Marine Ford when the attack started. Command thought they had a perfect defense, but after seeing a rookie like Luffy cause the mayhem he had at Impel Down, the most secure facility in the world, a man like Whitebeard was likely to give Sengoku more than just a run for his money even at the heart of the marine stronghold.

Isuka sighed, wiping her hands down and carefully escaped the area she’d positioned Striker. Up ahead, lifeboats hanged ready to be deployed in the event of the ship getting sunk.

She’d familiarized herself with the process and made sure that her own escape was ready.

A part of her felt silly at the thought. What was the move after that? After all of this…

Isuka would wash up on an island, go to the nearest marine building and report that she was lost at sea?

No. That wouldn’t work. And again, reports of her being AWOL had to have circulated by now. It was only her luck that her and Momonga and most of his high-ranking officers hadn’t met or were so briefly acquainted Isuka was able to blend in on the massive ship undetected.

But that was about to change…

She knew she had only one way to for sure get this key in Ace’s hands. And if it meant risking her own name, so be it…

It was time to make or break this mission and see if her sacrifices would be worth it.

+++

“You are as pathetic in this state as you were when out roaming and causing, pirate.”

The words leaving her mouth felt foreign to say. Her tone, one filled with contempt and malice, made every word feel motivate by hate.

Ace blinked, tired and silent as a muted anger simmered beneath at everything around him and everything within.

He didn’t make a sound as Isuka stood in front of him. The few soldiers keeping watch and surrounding him in a circle looked at her in alarm.

“C-commodore? Can we help you,” one confused marine asked, each of his five comrades stared at Isuka, dressed in her Commodore uniform and blazing in her carefully fabricated anger.

“No. I just had to see it for myself. Fire Fist Ace. Helpless and beaten. My only regret is this isn’t my victory to claim credit for. Just another scum pirates,” she seethed.

The guards around her leaned in. She continued.

“I’m sorry to alarm you boys. This worthless cretin you see before you is an old mark, during my early days as an officer, he escaped my grasp more than once. Pirates are a sniveling slippery bunch. I just had to come see him one last time before he finally gets what he deserves, and we wipe his miserable blood from our world.”

Any suspicion they had seemed to abate for the moment. a few of them looked intrigued and in awe.

“O-oh! Our apologies. We didn’t know you had a history with the prisoner, Commodore…?” one ventured, looking panicked that he didn’t remember the name she’d never shared with any of them.

“Isuka. Nailing Isuka. Don’t you remember me? Surely this scum does at least? Well no matter. Take comfort, **criminal**. Soon this will all be over, and our world grows purer with you gone. There will be no waiting **vessel** on the side of this ship you can burn through in order to whisk yourself away and no secret **keys** coming to set you free,” she taunted, Ace’s impassive face finally lifting to meet her gaze.

So far, he’d barely acknowledged her presence, but now as she spoke, the anger from before was more muted. Confusion laced his brows as the guards around Isuka exchanged looks with each other, all of them coming to the thought that they were fine to let her go along with her strange speech to the prisoner they were set to guard.

So, she kept going.

She circled Ace, as if inspecting a particularly unsightly piece and raising the most vicious snarl she could on her own face.

“Disgusting. You should have been brought in sooner. At least the whole world gets to finally see you for what you are.”

The last part said was uttered loudly as she leaned forward ever so slightly to say it behind his back to his ear.

“Trash.”

Off in the distance, Vice Admiral Momonga called for the crew to start shift rotations. The guards here looked anxious to get on with their next task as the new set of soldiers to come watch Ace were on their way.

Isuka made her work quick in that split-second gap. Her hand snaked out, pressed the key against Ace’s closed fists.

Immediately, she could feel Ace’s body tense as he visibly flinched right as she uttered her last word.

His hand snatched the key and closed it within his fists as fast as he could while she said her last piece, hopeful that the guards watching them were paying attention to her voice and not the exchange that had just occurred.

Isuka stood up, made a show of brushing herself off and giving each of the men a nod.

“Never let down your guard boys. Pirates like these exist everywhere. And our honorable admirals and the citizens we serve depend on us to take them down,” she growled with conviction.

They nodded at her. Some impressed, two others more just confused by her presence.

Isuka left as the shifts around the deck rotated. Up above, like the god of punishment ready to strike was Vice Admiral Momonga, looking down at her with a scrutinizing gaze.

+++

Minutes later, as Isuka went below deck and started to gather as many provisions as she could before she rushed for her lifeboat, he caught up with her, cornering her in a narrow hallway.

“I don’t think I recognize you. And I personally chose all the high-ranking officers on my vessel.”

Momonga drew his sword, Isuka immediately wishing now more than ever she’d brought her own.

“My apologies, Vice Admiral. I was a guard from the Impel Down team.”

“There were no Commodores on the team that came with us…Now I’ll ask again—.”

Isuka dodged the incoming swipes from him as she backed up. Marines running around from behind stopped, all of them suddenly noticing the highest-ranking officer on their ship about to get into a fight.

She had lies ready to spill forth, stories she was ready to fabricate to avoid her fate. But Isuka could see down the hall, a trio of large burly soldiers getting closer, each wielding cuffs likely coming for her.

“—Who. Are. You.” Momonga growled, advancing quickly.

The jabs from Momonga’s sword kept coming. Isuka would be out of space soon before she back up into the oncoming men and find herself cuffed and shoved in the brig.

But before any of that could happen, an explosion _rocked_ the ship.

“Eeeeehhhh,” she cried, as the ship lurched, and all the men fell to the ground in alarm.

The sounds of fire and an explosion outside was heard.

BOOM.

Another blast from something powerful ripped wood off the hinged and made doors fly open as men burst out to see the commotion.

It was happening. It was now.

_I guess you save me again, Fire Fist. Let’s hope we both get out of here alive._

Isuka turned and fled, decking one of the larger soldiers across the face as she rushed by him and below deck. Whether Momonga thought he could catch her or not, he would have to wait. He had bigger problems up above he’d have to contend with first.

+++

Ace wasted no time. It was unheard of for him not to finish his fights, but he was understandably in a rush. He sprinted across deck, punching out four more guards and leaped over the edge.

True to her word, Isuka had laid out Striker below. The second Ace’s feet touched the vessel, flames erupted from his legs.

For a second, he paused and looked around, his angry desperate face met hers and his eyes softened. But before he could open his mouth to yell at her, cannon fire exploded in the distance.

Isuka turned to look out at the horizon, twelve massive warships arriving in the distance. Reinforcements were already coming. Probably already on their way to help and now, at full speed since no doubt, Ace’s escape was reported within seconds of his break.

“GO!” She yelled as loud as she could. Ace needed no more encouragement as he lit up and his flames burst forth on Striker, rocketing the vessels forward and whisking Ace away.

Isuka stared in disbelief as he headed back in the direction of Impel Down.

 _‘D-did? Did he just turn to go back to prison!?!’_ her mind screamed.

Her horror and fear where stamped back though as the wildfires on ship blazed higher and Isuka came to the sudden realization that she still needed a lifeboat.

 _‘Well good luck Fire Fist. I did my part. I hope you know what you’re doing,’_ she lamented, trying not to feel too stung that she would likely never see him again. Ace might be thankful for her help, but she’d said all those awful things to him.

Isuka shoved a screeching warrant officer out of the way as the men desperately tried to put out the fires and make room to jump overboard.

Up ahead the reinforcements drew closer. Isuka was sure escape would be unlikely. They would find her. Even if she made it to the closest island, they would track her down within the week and haul her butt to Impel Down just to torture her traitorous hide for all the infractions she practically swam in since her departure from HQ.

She finally settled on one of the smaller lifeboats and cut it loose.

Well no matter. Looks like Ace was right about one thing. She always did have a bit of pirate in her after all. All the rules she’d broke were proof of that.

And now Commodore Isuka was sadly no more. Her dream gone and her world soon to be confined.

But least there would be no war. For now.

+++

In the coming weeks, the newspaper couldn’t seem to determine what headline deserved the front and center more; each seemed more chaotic than the last and honestly, the public was devouring all the news coming in about the execution’s abrupt cancellation and reports that the marine’s entire operation fell to pieces because of some mismanagement around the prisoner’s security detail.

“FIRE FIST ACE ESCAPE!!”

“STRAWHAT PRISON INVASION AND BREAKOUT”

“WHITEBEARD PIRATES SURROUND MARINE FORD!!”

The tensions were high, but a full-scale culling was still not yet reached.

War had been averted, mostly because word of Ace escaping before he ever made it to Marine ford reached the Yonko and Whitebeard had carefully positioned all his forces and allies to sit and wait in the water around Marine ford, essentially locking all the Marine forces in their own base as he waited for more intel.

Isuka no longer had access to the marines report channel herself, but from her deduction she was able to gather Ace had gone back to Impel Down, rescued his brother and the two had escaped in total family fashion by liberating roughly 90% of the prisoners within before finding a way to contact and meet with his captain.

She didn’t know whether pride or annoyance were the deserved reactions to this news. On one hand, Ace was free at last and his brother was safe. On the other, they freed a lot of men who really deserved to be locked up, and Isuka was technically a defector now. Any work she did bringing back these escapees would get herself thrown in jail too…

She sighed, slumping in her seat. The reminder hurt that she was a nobody now.

Well, worse than that, a traitor with a target on her back.

The bar at Sabaody she was currently hiding in was small and discreet thankfully. A good thing since the few marines out there who were not locked within Marine ford were scouring the entire island for her and any signs of Ace and his brother.

How they planned to arrest her when their prison was in shambles, she had no clue, but she needed this time to hide and plan a way to fade into obscurity before the Sengoku found a way to continue operations again as usual.

But that was at least a few weeks off. Right now, she was concerned with other matters.

Rumors of Ace going to meet with his Captain circulated the island. He was reunited and finally back safe with his father; his brother also a new and terrifying ally to the Yonko apparently.

Isuka needed to find a way to escape the circling vultures who were already after her and find a way to hide somewhere she wouldn’t be found.

The hunt for her would be short term. After Sengoku and the other admirals find a way to get their forces out on the water, the need to seek instant retribution on her from those who suspected her involvement would be put to the side in favor of fighting the clear and present threat of Whitebeard right outside their HQ.

But still…she would be hunted and for the rest of her life, she would always be looking over her shoulder.

And ~~when~~ if they caught her, the agony they would make her suffer would be endless…

And sadly, the trusty lifeboat she’s stolen from the warship had barely made the journey to Sabaody before falling to pieces at the edge of the island. She would need another way off the island and a vessel of some sort she could stow away on that was headed out of the Grand Line.

“You seem like you have a lot on your mind. Care for another round?” the bartender asked.

Isuka looked up, meeting the woman’s gaze. The lady had short black hair and had smoked about eight cigarettes since Isuka had arrived two hours ago. As far as she knew, she looked like a regular customer when she had come in, but now Isuka could feel the woman’s eyes picking her look apart, like she was trying to figure her and her ravaged appearance out.

Her skin prickled. Even though the lady seemed nice, Isuka couldn’t afford to take chances with anyone.

“I was actually just about to leave. Thanks,” she said, pushing out her chair. The bartenders hand came and stopped her, the older lady looking at her with soft eyes.

“Come on. You look like a girlie with some problems and I’m bored out of my mind. Here, I’ll throw in some free lunch if you go for another drink,” she smirked, nothing dangerous in her expression but Isuka felt like the woman knew something she didn’t.

_Say no. We need to be on our way._

Just as she opened her mouth to refuse, her stomach chimed in.

_GROOOOOOWWWWWWWWW!!!_

The bartender grinned as Isuka’s face flushed red in embarrassment. “I’ll go get that food then. I’m Shakky by the way.”

“N-nice to meet you…”

She didn’t offer her name back but Shakky didn’t wait to hear it as she disappeared to the back kitchen.

Isuka knew she should get going…but in truth, she’d barely eaten these last few days. With almost no money scrapped together for food, it would be a wonder if she didn’t starve before finding a way off the island.

_Guess I’ll stay for now. How much can this lady actually know just from the two whiskeys I’ve had so far?_

+++

(Four hours later)

Isuka stumbled out of the bar, stomach full and unfortunately with her low tolerance for booze, a bit tipsy.

Shakky had not been what she seemed. The older woman was friendly and open and made it her mission to feed Isuka well into the evening whilst the ex-marine spilled endlessly about how her woes.

Isuka had of course kept it all vague. The shitty job she’d just left was not elaborated on and the mysterious boy Isuka had “thrown away” her career for was unnamed for the entire conversation.

Shakky had, as a most seasoned bartender does, taken it all in stride. The woman had laughed when Isuka described her dilemma as a working woman looking to settled down somewhere and remain undisturbed whilst also having no means to do so.

“Well, speaking as someone who also had to make some major changes for a stupid boy of my own, I think you did the right thing. Better to be happy and suffering than sad and suffering,” she’d joked before she saw Isuka off for the night.

She was right at least. No matter how miserable this week would be trying to figure life out, at least Isuka could live on knowing that she’d followed her conscience and gut.

The lights of Sabaody glimmered as her foot steered her down a vaguely familiar path.

Pretty soon, Isuka could see the lights of the theme park ahead, the place barely crowded but the Faris wheel in the distance spinning as usual like the world wasn’t on the precipice of violence right at that moment.

She slowly made her way towards it. How long ago did she visit here with Deuce and Ace?

It seemed like ages ago when really it had only been around three years almost.

It was quiet tonight. Not many theme park guests where present to fill the air with the usual screams of delight and thrill; many people where still holed up inside, waiting out the conflict between Whitebeard and the Marines before they felt confident to return to regular daily life.

The bubbles from above slowly drifted up languidly as Isuka watched a few pop against the cabins of the Ferris wheel. If anything, at least this was a pretty island to be stuck on. At least she knew what to expect here.

…

A moment passed as the lights from above slowly grew dim. The breeze gusted through sending an unwelcome chill up her arms, more consequences from not being able to wear her heavy marine coat anymore. Isuka had been lucky to find any new clothes at all now that her uniforms where destroyed and she was in every way broke.

Somewhere in the distance, coming up behind her, Isuka could feel her observation haki peak as the chill died down and the air became warmer.

A burst of panic sprang in her chest but was soon smothered by the sheer relief in her heart knowing that this presence was one she finally got to sense again, even if he was showing up at a weird time for her.

“It’s not fair. You get to surprise me, but I can’t even sneak up on you now?” Ace whined as he drew closer and stopped to stand beside her, admiring the view of the Ferris wheel.

Isuka didn’t know what to say. Words for some reason stopped existing in her mind even though for the past few months, she’d wanted to tell Ace so much both about her life and about his.

Fire Fist seemed to thankfully understand her dilemma as he crossed his arms, his orange hat back on his head where it belonged and his face and body in much better shape than when she last saw him.

Numerous bandages still were wrapped around his torso though and from the looks of it, most of his old wounds in the process of healing.

“I hate to break it to you, but you don’t exactly make yourself subtle,” she quipped back.

He pouted, seeming to ponder the fact that he raised the temperature everywhere he went but eventually he just shrugged it off, his eyes finally turning to hers.

Isuka met his gaze, genuine curiosity hung over her as she struggled to think why Ace would even come here.

“How did you find me?”

Ace blinked, probably a bit perplexed by her carefully withdrawn tone and body posture.

“A friend of my brothers called in to us and said a person matching your description was here. I’ve been looking everywhere for you. I thought you knew!”

 _How would I know that???_ She wanted to demand. Typical Fire Fist, always on a completely different page than her.

“I’ve been busy hiding if you didn’t notice. It’s not exactly safe out there for me now that I’m…well fired I guess.”

He looked around, seeming to clock that the place was empty and that Isuka was anxious to get out of plain sight.

“Have you been chased yet, or do the marines not know you’re here?”

She shrugged, trying to think of the answer herself.

“I’m sure they know or will know soon. It’s only a matter of time before they issue out a defectors bounty for me if they haven’t already.”

Ace thought over this, his face serious and considering. He looked at her thoughtfully, brows furrowed.

“Thank you, Isuka, for what you did. I really thought for a second when I saw you…I mean I was angry when you came and I didn’t mean to be ungrateful or anything. I just really thought after you heard the news, you’d changed your mind about me and…yeah” he said, trialing off as his eyes became distant and Isuka recalled the last moments they had before he escaped.

“Ace, I’m sorry about all that stuff I said…back on the ship. I didn’t mean them. It was the only way I could think to get close though.”

Ace shrugged. “It’s fine. It’s nothing I haven’t heard before and I knew you had to fool those dumb guards to get close. It’s no big deal.”

Something about his word choice still bothered her though. Isuka really searching his face for the meaning behind them.

“But I do mean it; I’m sorry. Even if I was acting, it was hurtful and well—I know people must have been unkind to you in the past about it. You being a pirate and you being the son of…him.”

_Just say his name. Stop being weird about it!_

Ace’s expression remained carefully blank much to her chagrin.

“The son of a monster? I know. But I’m serious, it’s fine. Once you gave me the key, I figured it wasn’t that much of a deal to you either.”

The last part felt particularly hurtful to hear. Ace was a tough person to read, but in all the years Isuka had come to know him, she had always detected the faintest hint of insecurity when Ace was confronted with issues of his past or self-worth. And now in light of recent events, it was easy to see why.

“It is a big deal though,” she insisted. “I don’t like seeing you this way, acting like it doesn’t bother you. You’re still the same person to me. A monster wouldn’t have helped me against Draw. Only a friend would have, which doesn’t even cover what you are.”

Ace regarded her, more serious this time. His lips pressed in a hard line.

“And what’s that?”

She blinked, her mind racing for answers. “Well…you’re a good captain. Your crew loved you and stayed with you even after you stopped being their official leader. You’re clearly a loving brother. When Strawhat broke into Impel Down, it was to save someone he loved more than anything. I saw him, Ace, and the drive he had to get you can only be matched by your own when you turned to go back for him right after I risked my own butt to free you!”

A small smile quirked on his lips. Isuka didn’t realize it but they were standing very close together. She could feel the light exhales from Ace’s breath and see the individual strands on his eye lashes. If they got any closer, it would be very hard not to touch.

“Luffy mentioned a marine helping him along the way,” Ace mused, still looking down at her, not yet satisfied with her words but Isuka wasn’t done.

“Yeah, well I hope you never forget how many people wanted to come save you. No amount of power could convince all these forces to come out and rescue a monster. I wouldn’t have sacrificed my career for someone I didn’t a great person with a good heart.”

When she was done, she crossed her arms and averted her gaze, trying to turn her nose up to distract from the fact that she was getting increasingly flustered by their intimate proximity.

She didn’t think her words would mean that much. Ace being the pirate king’s son was huge but after a while, lost that earth-shattering flare it seemed to have at Marine HQ.

These seemed like insecurities that Ace would have resolved years ago with his brother and if his crew coming to start a war for him was any hint, Whitebeard clearly didn’t care either.

But the look of Ace’s face told Isuka this meant the world to him as right as she moved to pull away, he hugged her, squishing her close to his chest like she might disappear again.

“Deuce showed me your last letter…I’m sorry about your dream and everything but I…I’m really happy you’re not with the marines anymore,” he said, turning her chin up to look at him. “Oyaji was about to send out a few spies to come look for you after I told him what you did. You saved a lot of people. And you made it possible for me and Luffy to escape together.”

There was no way her face and body weren’t lobster red right now, all of Ace’s thanks and praise going right for the soft underbelly of her ego and feelings.

_If I get a nosebleed, it’s over. I won’t be able to show my face to anyone ever again…_

“It wasn’t right what they were doing to you. I couldn’t stand for it…even if it means living in hiding once Sengoku sends the Cipher Pols after me,” she groused, suddenly remembering her dilemma.

His arms tightened around her, and an achingly familiar resolve came over his features that Isuka knew all too well.

“About that. It shouldn’t be a problem then Isuka. I’ve thought long and hard about it and my brother and father agree with me. I’m here to kidnap you. Come quietly or yell, I guess. Just know that I will be taking you back with me.”

Isuka blinked. Ace’s expression told her that he was one hundred percent serious and seemed to think that declaring his intent to take her back with him needed to be announced like some formal proposal.

But still, her guilt seemed to eat away at her. And if there was one thing Isuka excelled at, it was denying herself what she truly desired.

“A-Ace, I appreciate it, but you already have a target on your back for life because of this. Me being a traitor will give the marines the go ahead to send all their might at you, not just what they can spare.”

“We’ll deal with it. My crew and I are stronger than them and you’ll be safer with us anyway.”

Isuka shook her head, the guilt she’d been harboring these past couple weeks tying down her wish to go.

“Ace, I can’t. I’ve already caused too much trouble as it is. It’s not right for me to join you after saying no all these years and barely doing anything compared to your crew and family.”

He sighed, looking up to the sky and in a moment that seemed like he was speaking directly to someone else Ace grumbled under his breath words that Isuka almost failed to catch entirely. “Looks like we’re doing it your way, Oyaji.”

Ace’s grip returned, both hands planting themselves on Isuka’s shoulders and soon she found herself being ~~steered~~ pushed down and in the direction of the port.

“You leave me no choice then! From this day forth, since you have denied being on my crew and refuse to see reason, I refuse your refusal and take you as my hostage!”

She blinked. _What?_

“You can’t refuse a refusal, Fire Fist. Why ask if you already made up your mind?” she demanded, as Ace stood waiting for her response.

He shrugged, nonplussed by her argument.

“Because I wanted to. And I felt like you would finally say yes when I asked you to come away with me,” he said, turning to look at her again and offering his hand to hers.

It was that old feeling of nostalgia that came back to bite Isuka again as tears threatened to spill forth. How ironic that this would happen again on the same island on a night so similar to the one he’d helped her overcome Draw’s own forces.

After all this time, he still wanted her to join and he wondered how people could come to adore him so much.

“Come away with you? And where would we be going then once this is all over?” she asked, ignoring the overwhelming realization that there might be a light at the end of the tunnel for her after all.

“I don’t know. On an adventure for sure. Maybe with Luffy for a while. He needs to track down his crewmates or something. All that matters though is you’ll be with us, a part of the crew! A part of the family…”

That would be new and strange, but compared to everything, maybe it was time to trade the militaristic core of the marines to a crew who would see her as a person, not some inconvenience.

“If I’m a hostage, how can I be a crew member then? You refused my refusal,” she asked, dodging Ace’s attempt to throw her over his shoulder—again as her walking slowed in the direction they were going.

He kept at it, trying to get a good hold on her.

“No more questions! Plus, Luffy said it was fine! It worked for his own crew mates,” he justified, finally settling on scooping her up in a princess hold as he continued, his pace faster now that Isuka wasn’t left to drag her feet, leaving the lights from the theme park behind.

Isuka held on for dear life, surprised by how fast Ace moved despite his healing condition. “We need to get back to the ship soon though. Oyaji still needs to rest after last week and I don’t feel like beating on those Navy bastards during your welcome party!”

“My what?”

He grinned down at her, looking far too pleased with himself. That kind expression Isuka had grown to love on him and that hopefully look Ace wore so well that always seemed to tell her she was welcome and glad to be had when with him.

It was still there and thanks to her sacrifice, she would live to see it another day and maybe just maybe, things would be ok.

**(Back on the ship)**

Luffy stared off in the distance, his wide eyes hunting for his brother as he finally saw Ace rushing back from the afar, a red-headed lady scooped up and coming back with him even though she seemed very flustered from the looks of it.

 _‘She must be hungry,’_ Luffy mused, grateful to finally see the marine who’d helped him so suddenly at Impel Down and even more so that Ace was safe at last.

Now he just had to make a game plan to get his crewmates back, and luckily it seemed Ace and his own crew seemed willing to help.

“AAAACCCEE! Hurry up! I wanna eat dinner. What does your girlfriend like to eat, eh?!” he yelled, stretching his arms out and basking in the squawk the girl seemed to make from far away and the cackling laughter from behind where Ace’s crewmates waited.

Ace didn’t seem bothered by his word choice though so it must have been ok as he finally arrived, plopped the girl on deck and clapped a hand on Luffy’s shoulder.

Luffy grinned at the lady, her nervous expression couldn’t have bothered him no matter what.

At last it seemed like things would get better, both for Ace and himself now that he was free.

END


End file.
